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Saudi Ganu-Denu of Lankan maid scratches surface of problem
View(s):The Sri Lanka embassy in Riyadh has been directed to track down the Arab sponsor who allegedly offered to sell his Lankan maid for SR 25,000, a senior official said yesterday. “This matter is being treated seriously and the officials in Riyadh have been instructed to take the matter up with the highest authorities in that country, or else it could lead to more ‘copy cat’ attempts by other individuals,” Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Additional General Manager. Mangala Randeniya said.
He added that attempts to locate the employer or even the maid have so far been fruitless, and the cooperation of the relevant Saudi authorities has been sought towards this end.c The unnamed Saudi employer offered his Sri Lankan housemaid for SR 25,000 in an advertisement he published on a local auction website.
The advertisement says he wants to end his contract with the 30-year-old maid who was willing to work for another employer in the Gulf Kingdom for another year, before returning to Sri Lanka.The advertisement further endorsed that the maid is good at dealing with children.
“A work contract between the foreign sponsor and a domestic is for two years, which either side cannot breach for the duration of the contract. What happened in the Saudi advertisement is tantamount to modern day slavery, and should never be the case for whatever reason,” Mr. Randeniya said.
He added that the advertisement had also appeared on an earlier occasion, but the message differed in that, while the sponsor was willing to transfer the maid to another employer, there was no mention of a sale. He added that there is also the possibility of a person or persons deliberately changing the content to put the Saudi government in poor light, while causing damage to the Lankan job market in that country.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Sri Lankan female domestics who had decamped from their original sponsors, are being trafficked at clandestine auctions in several countries in the Gulf Region, the industry said.“Most of the women with no valid documents to remain in a particular country, turn to the auctions where they are traded to prospective employers, mainly Arabs, at a price,” a spokesman for the Kuwait Manpower Welfare Association told the Sunday Times.
“This is rampant in many parts of Kuwait as well as in other Gulf States and has been going on for many years,” he added.
“The other danger faced by these workers will be that during an emergency such as a natural disaster, civil strife or even a war, it will be difficult to trace them because they had left their documented place of work without a forwarding address,” the SLBFE said.
It said that, if a worker finds it difficult to remain with the sponsor, it is advisable to return to the original recruiting agent and seek an alternative employer through legitimate channels.