By Maheesha Mudugamuwa The Government has decided to abolish the Family Background Report (FBR) which was an administrative necessity before housemaids were permitted to be employed abroad, according to Telecommunication, Digital Infrastructure and Foreign Employment Deputy Minister Manusha Nanayakkara. He said that the proposal seeking the cabinet nod for the abolishing of FBR had already been submitted by Minister Harin Fernando. The Deputy Minister said the decision to abolish the FBR requirement was taken by considering the increasing number of fake FBRs made by female migrant workers. Instead, the Government has decided to launch a special programme to look after the children of the mothers going abroad, he said. “Creating fake FBR by women seeking foreign employment cannot be controlled and this has become a business for many people, and the poor women have to spend a large sum of money to get a fake FBR. Therefore, the objective of making FBR compulsory was not fulfilled,” Nanayakkara said. Under FBR, no mother having children less than five years of age is approved for foreign employment. Cabinet approval for the FBR was given in 2007 but its implementation was kept in abeyance. In 2013, a number of incidents were reported, where nursing mothers had abandoned their babies and went abroad for employments. Therefore, the then-Foreign Employment Minister Dilan Perera decided to activate the FBR. The minister who succeeded him – Thalatha Athukorale – continued to implement the FBR.