Off the Books

The worst thing about this tale of a Sri Lankan maid's suffering at the hands of her Saudi Arabian employers is that it's completely unsurprising. Though the torture the woman endured is notable for its brutality, such abuse is evidently commonplace in Saudi Arabia—to the point that foreign workers are taught to expect beatings:

The teacher held up an electric cake mixer and told the class of wide-eyed women before her to clean it properly. If it smells, "Mama," as the aspiring maids were...