A community welfare group has sounded the alarm bells following an influx of young Indian domestic workers arriving in Bahrain despite strict rules stating that they should not be aged below 30.
The issue has come to the spotlight after a 24-year-old housemaid reportedly committed suicide at her employer’s residence in the Southern Governorate last Friday.
Harjinder Kaur had earlier worked in Bahrain for two years before returning to her home in Punjab. However, in March this year, she returned to Bahrain to work as a housemaid for a different sponsor and on a valid visa.
According to her fiancé Prabhjot Singh, he last spoke to her on Friday following which her phone was unreachable.
The family was later informed by the local agent in Bahrain about her death; efforts are underway to repatriate her body back to India.
“We request the authorities to investigate the death of our daughter,” said Ms Kaur’s father Darshan Singh, in a letter signed on Monday and addressed to the Indian Ambassador in Bahrain.
A copy of the letter seen by the GDN also claims that one of the relatives of the sponsor used to “touch her in an inappropriate manner in front and in the absence of family members”.
“We had sent our daughter to work in Bahrain but unfortunately she lost her life and we want to know the real cause of her death,” said Mr Singh.
The Pravasi Legal Cell (PLC), which has taken up the case, has sent a letter to Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar calling for the “urgent intervention regarding domestic workers below 30 years of age travelling to Gulf countries”.
The PLC is a registered non-governmental organisation aiming to guide and support Indian expatriate community in Bahrain with legal issues.
“This is another unfortunate case of a young domestic worker who committed suicide here,” PLC global public relations officer and Bahrain chapter president Sudheer Thirunilath told the GDN.
Mr Thirunilath
“With the help of the embassy, we rescued three girls from the Indian state of Punjab and another woman from Goa this year who were working here as housemaids and allegedly facing ill-treatment.”
The GDN reported last year that Tejal Gawas, 23, a resident of Tiswadi in north Goa, was lured to Bahrain under the pretence of a well-paying job in an office but upon arriving in the kingdom was told she would be working as a domestic worker at a local resident’s house.
“Domestic workers (largely women) who are aged below 30 are travelling from India to the Gulf despite clear regulations forbidding them from travelling or taking up employment,” said Mr Thirunilath.
“They are travelling on valid work or visit visas, based on the cases we have dealt so far. There seems to be some confusion or a gap in communication because of which these young Indian women arrive in Bahrain or other Gulf countries and sometimes end up in exploitative situations.”
Mr Thirunilath who is also the World NRI Council’s Humanitarian Aid, Middle East Region director called for strict screening by Indian immigration officials to stop young domestic workers aged below 30 from travelling overseas, and tackling rogue manpower agents.
The Indian Embassy in Bahrain’s website’s section on agreement of employment of household help clearly states that housemaids should not be aged below 30.
Meanwhile, the embassy said it was aware of the young domestic workers arriving to work in Bahrain, and was working with the government to take action against rogue manpower agents.
“The Indian government has streamlined policy measures with reference to protection and welfare of women emigrants,” said an embassy response to a GDN query.
“As per existing rules, females below 30 years of age holding ECR (Emigration Check Required) Passports are not allowed to travel abroad to work, irrespective of the nature/category of employment.
“The embassy is aware of the complaints of women aged below 30 years holding ECR passport arriving in Bahrain from India to work as housemaids.
“The embassy is working with the Protector of Emigrants (POE) to stop this illegal practice, and to take necessary action against unscrupulous agents.”
The statement said that the matter has already been raised with the Bahrain government.
“In our monthly Open Houses, we have been creating awareness in this regard.”
The GDN newspaper reported in March that the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) plans to launch a new manual that highlights the rights of employers of domestic workers to ensure a balanced workplace environment for all parties.
The watchdog will launch the project in conjunction with the International Organisation for Migration.
According to LMRA’s latest data for the second quarter of last year, 78,900 domestic workers, including 22,850 males, were working in the country. This included 21,004 Indians of which 11,874 were females.
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
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