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Bhopal: The India Fraternity Forum, (IFF), a social
group working for the welfare of Indian expatriates in Saudi Arabia,
has submitted a memorandum to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
who is on a visit of Saudi Arabia, through Indian Ambassador in
Riyadh. The memorandum has also been faxed to PM's New Delhi office.
According to a Press
release of the IFF, which has members from 17 Indian states, the
memorandum highlighted problems being faced by the expatriates in
Saudi Arabia. The memorandum has mentioned about fake recruitment,
human trafficking, resident permit, sponsorship problems, opening of
Indian hospitals etc.
The memorandum is as under:-
1. Fake Recruitment:
There have been increasing instances of exploitation with the
support of emigration officers on house-maid, less than 40-
year-old, recruitment, which was banned by the Indian government due
to non-labor welfare pact. There are many Indians, who had to go to
Sri Lanka during their first journey and then traveled to Saudi
Arabia with Sri Lankan passport, are still working in Saudi Arabia.
Many house-maids and vehicle drivers have been harassed agonizingly
by sponsors and have even to go without having sufficient food,
salary and treatment. If there is any method, to collect declaration
directly from the Indian embassy once in six months, to renew their
work permit; tortures can be reduced to some extent.
2. Human
trafficking: Many illiterate ordinary Indians are brought by the
help of agents to Qatar with permanent visa and later shifted to
Saudi Arabian deserts with the help of visiting visa as shepherds
without allowing them to go on vacation even after many years. In
this matter India-Saudi-Qatar governments together should do the
needful in such cases.
3. Vehicle drivers
woes: Without knowing proper Saudi rules, many drivers, who came
with new visa, have been driving vehicles without license under the
threat of sponsors. If any accident occurs, then the sponsor leave
them in jail without paying penalty and they are imprisoned for
years. The Indian Government should take action to release these
drivers and their sponsors should be held responsible in such cases.
4. Legal support:
There should be statistics of Indians who don’t have any
resident permit, of abandoned maids / employees who due to salary
non-payment or torture, are affected by freezing of their work
permit on the complaint of sponsor. They cannot change their
sponsorship in proper time due to different reasons or who don’t
have sponsors etc. Such victimized Indians should be given legal
supports and proper arrangements be made for them via Indian embassy
to enable them return to their homeland safely.
5. Sponsorship
Freezing: It is currently a common business trend in Saudi
Arabia to freeze sponsorship (Uroob). Due to this employees can’t go
even to other gulf countries for lifelong. So, there should be a
procedure to get permission either by the India embassy or consulate
before freezing sponsorship.
6. Indian hospitals:
As there are schools under the supervision of Indian Embassy in
different regions of Saudi Arabia, it will be very helpful to open
hospitals too. Many Indians are either die or handicapped in the
absence of proper treatment especially after road accident.
(pervezbari@eth.net)
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