THREE women, who were allegedly “trafficked” into Bahrain and working as housemaids, have been rescued after a video appeal went viral.
The women – Valli Karnan, 41; Vadivukarasi Srinivasan, 38; and Velankanni Saranvanan, 34 – arrived in Bahrain on February 5 this year to work as housemaids.
However, in March the three cousins from Chennai, India got in touch with the manpower agent who had sent them to Bahrain, saying they wanted to return home as they were not happy with the working conditions and delayed salaries.
On Friday, the video by a sobbing Ms Srinivasan was posted on social media, urging authorities to rescue Ms Karnan who was reportedly slapped on the face with sandals, locked up in a room for almost 10 days and denied food for three days.
Ms Srinivasan in the video
Indian Ambassador Piyush Srivastava told the GDN yesterday that the embassy was aware of the case. “We are aware of the matter and taking necessary action in consultation with local authorities,” he said.
An embassy representative confirmed that a translator had been assigned to help the women who were taken to Samaheej police station for questioning after they were rescued.
Chennai-based activist Kanya Babu, the co-founder and general secretary of the All-India Movement for Service, intervened and reached out to the local police in Chennai, Tamil Nadu who reportedly arrested the agents who had sent the women to Bahrain.
“The women called me from the police station,” Ms Babu told the GDN over the telephone from Chennai.
“Ms Karnan said that she was locked up after being beaten with sandals on her face and she was also not given food for three days.
“Her phone was taken away but later she got it for half an hour during which she reached out to her family, and cousins in Bahrain. The women said that they were not happy right from the beginning due to delayed salaries and inhuman behaviour by the employers.”
The single mothers from Washermanpet in Chennai have been urging their agent since March to get them back home as they were unhappy with the working conditions.
“At first, the police in Chennai said this was not a case of trafficking as the women were willing to go and work as housemaids in Bahrain,” added Ms Babu.
Ms Babu
“But the agent, Abdulla Air Travels, turned out to be illegal as it was not authorised to do foreign recruitment.
“These women required emigration clearance and hence should have been presented to the Protector of Emigrants as per law, which was also not done.
“So, two men were arrested and I learnt that simultaneously police in Bahrain rescued Ms Karnan and also took into custody the other two women.”
A local agent who received the women in Bahrain and who was at the Samaheej police station yesterday reportedly demanded BD1,000 (200,000 Indian rupees) to “release” the women.
“He said that he had spent this much on the women and would not release them unless they paid,” said Ms Babu.
“They are poor women who went abroad with high hopes to feed their families and were promised 30,000 Indian rupees (BD150) a month – one of them is yet to received her two months’ pay.”
A comment from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority is awaited.
raji@gdn.com.bh
&uuid=(email))