External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday assured the lok Sabha that all migration for employment to Gulf countries would be through Government-authorised agencies in order to put a curb on what she described as “human trafficking.”
Swaraj said as many as 7,432 complaints were received from Indians employed in Gulf countries this year, with many relating to exploitation and torture by employers. The Minister said the Government was working on a new immigration law.
Answering questions on the problems faced by Indians in the Gulf, Swaraj put the number of migrant workers there at 72 lakh and maintained that Indian ambassadors in various Gulf countries were running ‘open house sessions’ from 11 am till 12 pm to resolve the issues faced by the expatriates on a daily basis. The Minister said she was directly monitoring this and was available on Twitter 24x7 for finding “solutions”.
She said there were incidents of passports being seized by the employers, who did not allow the workers to return home. Referring to the case of Saudi Arabia, where a No Objection Certificate (NOC) is required from employers before travel documents are issued to the workers, she said: “We are in talks with Saudi Arabia to change this.”
It has come to light that in many cases the employers were not ready to give the NOC where the workers were being exploited and kept captive.
The Minister said India has signed MoUs with six Gulf countries, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, to ensure that the host nations will take measures for protection and welfare of the workers in the organised sector and that recruitment and terms of employment will be in conformity with the laws of both the countries.
Swaraj said workers’ migration through unregistered agencies has been stopped by the Centre. She said 1983 Act on Emigration Check Required (ECR) (applicable to 10th fail) needs to change and “we are doing it” and a new immigration Bill was on the anvil.
She said the Ministry has set up a 24X7 helpline ‘Overseas Workers Resource Centre’ in Gurgaon which provides information and guidance on all matters and problems pertaining to overseas employment of Indian nationals.
Asked about the recent incident where a woman worker Kasthuri Munirathinam’s hand was chopped off by her employer in Saudi Arabia in the first week of October, she said these incidents happen on account of “unscrupulous and unregistered” agents whom State Governments should identity.
“In fact it is human trafficking,” the Minister said and asserted that the Government was ensuring that all migration (besides, ECR category) be done through Government-registered agents.
After undergoing a horrifying experience at Saudi Arabia for over four months, 55-year-old Kasthuri, a native of Mungileri Village in Vellore district, returned home with a permanent disability.
Swaraj said the Government brought Kasthuri back home on November 7, this year. Before this, the Saudi Government was asked to register a case of attempt to murder as the latter claimed that Kasthuri was “running away and fell down”.
She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself raised the issue with the Saudi Prince and “asked for justice”.
At this stage, Mohammad Salim (CPM) said for a job, Indian workers were doing “slavery outside”.