May, 23 2007
AN Indian government decision to train women seeking employment in the Gulf as housemaids was welcomed by officials and human rights groups in Bahrain yesterday.
The decision to train housemaids before emigration was announced in New Delhi by Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury.
"Indian women seeking employment abroad as housemaids or domestic workers will be given training in a first step to regulate their emigration and protect them from any kind of abuse," she said.
"We have already tied-up with ITC Limited and the Red Cross to train them.
"Once that is stabilised, we will ensure that these women are accredited with the ministry as well as make sure that they remit money regularly in a provident fund account. That will also help us track them."
Indian Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty, who welcomed the decision, said the move was in line with the recommendations made by Indian ambassadors in the Gulf.
"We proposed several measures to the Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry and the External Affairs Ministry to protect Indian workers seeking jobs in the Gulf," he told the GDN.
"One of them is to have an orientation or training for housemaids before they leave the shores of India.
"They should be told about the culture of their host country and trained in the use of household equipment as well as hygiene aspects."
Mr Shetty said the training should also cover basic skills in spoken Arabic.
He said the issue would be followed-up with the respective ministries back home.
Migrant Workers Protection Society action committee head Marietta Dias also welcomed the decision, but expressed doubts on its practical aspects.
"Many of the housemaids coming here are from very rural places in India," she noted.
"Recruiting agents bring them here without telling them about the actual work conditions here.
"If the Indian government can implement some mechanisms to get the actual message across to these illiterate women and train them before they leave their village homes it will be an ideal exercise."
Ms Dias said the training period should be for a minimum period of one month.
The Indian minister said her recent trip to Kuwait was an eye-opener as she received many complaints regarding incidents of abuse of low-paid Indian women workers by their employers.
"Many women apply for jobs as nurses and maids in the Gulf and end up being exploited with their passports taken away from them and often left to the mercy of agents and touts who have arranged their passage," said Ms Chowdhury.
"My priority is to ensure that these women travelling to countries which come under the Emigration Clearance Required (ECR) are confident and are not exploited by agents and touts."
The GCC countries, Malaysia, Syria, Jordan, Afghanistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Iraq, Brunei, Nigeria, Sudan and Libya come under the ECR.
