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US charge of human trafficking by overseas job officials noted: EAM
The Government yesterday was taking serious note of a US statement that accused officials and agents in the foreign employment industry of complicity in the trafficking of persons to foreign countries, a senior official said.“We are examining the statement made by the US Secretary of State John Kerry and will respond appropriately at the very earliest”, External Affairs Secretary Karunatilleke Amunugama told the Sunday Times.
He added that a similar statement was put out by the Australian Government earlier this year and Colombo lodged a strong protest and the issue was settled. The US authorities are yet to formally communicate this statement to the Government. The remarks by Mr. Kerry were contained in the US 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report released on June 19.The Sunday Times had earlier exposed the existence of human trafficking where senior Government officials were quoted as saying that the matter was being investigated at the highest level but to date there has been no breakthrough.
Most of the Sri Lankans were sent to Western military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan and each individual was charged Rs. 300,000 from their respective handler, it was reported. The report also charged that agents with the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA) were responsible for sending under-aged males and females for employment to Gulf countries and subsequently face conditions indicative of forced labour that include restriction of movement, withholding of passports, intimidation, physical sexual abuse and threats of detention.
Sri Lankan victims of forced labour were identified in Israel and women were forced into prostitution in countries such as Jordan, Singapore, Maldives and other countries, the report added. It also stated that Sri Lankan children were being subjected to bond and forced labour in dry zone farming areas, on plantations, and in the fire works and fish-drying industries.
Labour Secretary W. L. J. U. Wijeweera told the Sunday Times that the US report was baseless saying that either bonded or forced labour did not exist in this country and that such information was provided by so-called NGOs financed by Washington. ALFEA Secretary Faizer Maickeen said that they raised the matter with the Foreign Employment secretary Nissanka Wijeratne as it put the industry in poor light.
“This charge by the US is false. These things may be taking place in other countries but in Sri Lanka there is a thorough screening process by the authorities and other stake holders in the industry before an individual is recruited for an overseas placement,” Mr. Maickeen said.
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