brand logo
logo

Human trafficking: Under the guise of greener pastures   

02 May 2021

By Yumiko Perera  More than 100,000 Sri Lankan women migrate for employment every year. Most of them as domestic helpers. The increasing exposure to mistreatment and abuse Sri Lankan female migrant workers face in the Middle East is something we get to hear all too often. As unfortunate as it is, women who travel abroad seeking employment as domestic aides are vulnerable to fraud and labour trafficking.  As migrant employment is a survival strategy pursued largely out of desperation, and most women often opt for it as a last resort, the disproportionate risks like labour exploitation, abuse, and unequal pay these women face should not be overlooked.  While economic disparities, the lack of opportunity paired with the lack of equitable social and economic policies are the push factors for most men and women that opt for migrant employment, modern slavery, forced labour, and human trafficking are global phenomena that developing countries such as Sri Lanka and even developed countries still seem to be grappling with. Millions of people are deceived by traffickers and are misled to believe that they are being offered bigger and better opportunities overseas.  In a press conference held recently, the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA) revealed that unlicensed foreign employment agencies run a network that fraudulently uses the “Visit Visa” process to send Sri Lankan women for migrant employment illegally.  According to ALFEA Secretary Mohamed Farook Mohamed Arshad, if a person is to fly overseas to serve as a domestic aide, he or she must meet the following criteria. 
  1. Minimum age – 23 years for the Middle East and 25 years for Saudi Arabia. 
  2. Family Background Certificate (FBR) – a female with a child under the age of five years is not eligible to fly as a domestic aide. 
  3. Training – potential migrant workers are expected to undergo the 25-day residential training offered by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE). 
Stating that foreign employment agencies that do not possess a licence to operate in Sri Lanka, along with certain officials at the airport, run this racket in broad daylight, Arshad further alleged: “They charge at least Rs. 120,000 from an individual and around 50 Sri Lankan women are being sent to Dubai as domestic helpers through this method every day. Once the women reach Dubai, they are sent to other Middle Eastern countries, and the women do not have a clue of where they would be employed at, or where they would be sent.”  Vulnerable to domestic servitude, debt bondage, labour exploitation, and other abuse, these women are sold to employers in other countries. Unscrupulous employers exploit workers knowing that they have no choice but to put up with it, and if by any chance these women fail to fetch a price, they would be forced into prostitution, according to Arshad. He went on to say that most of these women are between the ages of 18 and 22.  Reiterating that regardless of this happening in broad daylight, no one is being held accountable for the issues faced by these women, the ALFEA shared that in a recent raid carried out at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), it had been revealed that underage, untrained women were being smuggled into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on tourist visas.  According to the ALFEA, the smuggling of Sri Lankan women into Middle Eastern countries to be employed as domestic workers takes place in two ways. The Middle East is one of the most prominent destinations where domestic workers are being smuggled into, using visit visas.  “The smugglers pay a hefty sum in bribes to the official in the airport premises, including officials of the Foreign Employment Bureau for every female that is sent for migrant work abroad illegally,” shared Arshad.  Arshad went on to explain that the “re-entry” method is the other tactic which unlicensed foreign employment agencies use to smuggle Sri Lankan women abroad to be employed as domestic aides. The number of women who have been sent overseas using this method is inestimable.  “New passports are being forged and registered with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, so as to be able to evade government regulations.  “They not only use rubber stamps of government institutions of the country for forging fake documents, but they also use stamps of other foreign countries in the process of forging these passports,” shared Arshad.  Stressing that immigration stamps and visa issuance stamps are also being forged in this manner, Arshad went on to say: “If this scam is exposed to the relevant foreign countries, the trust most of these countries have in Sri Lanka and its credibility of the migrant employment system would be damaged and they would eventually stop accepting workers from Sri Lanka.”  Reiterating that the authorities have a huge responsibility to put an end to this racket and ensure the welfare, safety, and security of migrant workers, Arshad concluded: "We have provided all the information related to this racket to the Chairman of the Bureau of Foreign Employment, the ministers in charge of the subject, and His Excellency President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as well. Unfortunately, so far, none of these parties has taken action against this racket. However, as an authorised foreign employment agency, we are ready to provide the necessary information and evidence to anyone willing to take initiative to stop this racket at any given time.”  With the allegations pointing towards certain officials at the SLBFE, The Sunday Morning reached out to SLBFE Deputy General Manager and Spokesperson Mangala Randeniya to gain more insight on the matter.  “We are aware of the situation and we have been informed by the necessary authorities. Investigations are underway so it is still too soon to say anything,” he said.  State Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Market Diversification Piyankara Jayaratne, speaking with The Sunday Morning, shared: “I have requested the Chairman and the Secretary of the SLBFE to do a thorough investigation on the matter after considering the complaints of the ALFEA officers. I am expecting the report soon.”  If SLBFE officers are indeed found to be guilty, Jayaratne stated that stringent action would be taken against them.   


More News..