AHN Middle East Correspondent
Cairo, Egypt (AHN) - The Egyptian Minister of Labor, Aisha Abdel Hady, has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to send 120,000 young Egyptian women to work as maids. The signing has angered local dailies, who called the accord "a scandal" and "part of the Gulf's plan to humiliate Egypt."
A Saudi newspaper first published the news, which was then picked up by Egyptian newspapers last weekend.
"I am responsible for the protocol. I've signed it, which aims to organize the hire of Egyptian workers," Abdel Hady was quoted in the Egyptian daily Al Masry Al Youm on Monday as saying.
"The hire of the Egyptian workers will keep the dignity of the Egyptian worker abroad," the minister said on a local television show Sunday night.
Mostafa Bakry, editor-in-chief of Al Esbou' newspaper and Member of Parliament, has applied to question the minister of labor over the agreement with Saudi Arabia.
AHN's Manar Ammar contributed to this report in Cairo.