Lok Sabha Question No. 5053 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-01
Subject: Exploitation of Women Abroad
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Ashok Kumar Rawat

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5053 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2022

## EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN ABROAD

## † 5053.   SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Indian women going abroad for various jobs are being exploited;
- (b) if so, the details of such complaints received during the last three years particularly from the Gulf countries, Year-wise and Countrywise;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to ban employment of women below   thirty   years   of   age   as   domestic   servants   in   the   Gulf countries; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]

(a) & (b) Indian Missions/Posts in the Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries including Gulf Countries have reported that complaints have been received from Indian women workers, regarding non-payment of salaries and denial of legitimate labour rights and other issues such as non-issuance/renewal of residence permits, Overtime Allowance, weekly holidays, working for longer hours, refusal to grant exit/recruitment entry permits for visit to India, refusal to allow the worker on final exit visa after completion of their contracts and not providing medical and insurance   facilities   etc.   Incidents   of   confinement   or   abandoning   of housemaids by their sponsors have also been reported. A statement showing the number of complaints received by the Indian Missions in the 18   Emigration   Check   Required   (ECR)   countries,   including   the   gulf countries, since year 2019 till date, year-wise and country-wise, is given at Annexure-A.

(c)   &   (d) The  Government has already put in place the following measures   to   safeguard   and   regulate   emigration   of   Indian   women workers,   including   maids   holding   ECR   passports,   for   overseas employment :

(i) All women emigrants (Except Nurses) emigrating on ECR passports to ECR countries irrespective of nature/category of employment must be above the age of 30 years.

(ii) The   emigration   clearance   of   all   female   workers   having   ECR passports, for overseas employment in 18 ECR countries, including Gulf countries, has been made mandatory through 10 State-run recruiting agencies only. These are: NORKA Roots and Overseas Development and Employment   Promotion   Consultants   (ODEPC)   of   Kerala,   T elangana Overseas Manpower Company Limited (TOMCOM) of Telangana, Overseas Manpower   Company   Andhra   Pradesh   Limited   (OMCAP)   of   Andhra Pradesh, Overseas Manpower Corporation Ltd. (OMCL) of Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh Financial Corporation (UPFC) of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan Skill   &   Livlihoods   Development   Corporation   (RSLDC)   of   Rajasthan, Karnataka State Unorganized Workers Society Security Board (KUWSSB) and   Karnataka   Vocational   Training   &   Skill   Development   Corporation (KVTSDC)   of   Karnataka   and   M/s   PanIIT   Alumni   Reach   for   Jharkhand Foundation of Jharkhand.

(iii) In respect of direct recruitment of all ECR passport holder women workers in respect of all ECR countries, the Foreign Employer is required to deposit a Bank Guarantee equivalent to US $2500 for recruiting each woman worker, in the respective Indian Mission.

(iv) Registration of foreign employers in the e Migrate system has been made mandatory with effect from June 2015.

***

## Annexure-A

| Country-wise No. of complaints from female workers registered in eMigrate   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| Sl. No.   | ECR countries        | 2019   | 2020   | 2021   | 2022 (till date)   |
|-----------|----------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------------------|
| 1.        | Afghanistan          | Nil    | Nil    | 1      | Nil                |
| 2.        | Bahrain              | 2      | 1      | 6      | Nil                |
| 3.        | Indonesia            | Nil    | Nil    | Nil    | Nil                |
| 4.        | Iraq                 | 1      | Nil    | 4      | Nil                |
| 5.        | Jordan               | 1      | Nil    | Nil    | Nil                |
| 6.        | Lebanon              | Nil    | Nil    | Nil    | Nil                |
| 7.        | Libya                | Nil    | Nil    | Nil    | Nil                |
| 8.        | Kuwait               | 20     | 33     | 22     | 4                  |
| 9.        | Malaysia             | 21     | 8      | 19     | 3                  |
| 10.       | Oman                 | 9      | 13     | 1      | Nil                |
| 11.       | Qatar                | 2      | 2      | 4      | 1                  |
| 12.       | Saudi Arabia         | 78     | 58     | 60     | 6                  |
| 13.       | Sudan                | Nil    | Nil    | Nil    | Nil                |
| 14.       | South Sudan          | Nil    | Nil    | Nil    | Nil                |
| 15.       | Syria                | Nil    | Nil    | Nil    | Nil                |
| 16.       | Thailand             | Nil    | Nil    | 1      | Nil                |
| 17.       | United Arab Emirates | 55     | 39     | 22     | 3                  |
| 18.       | Yemen                | Nil    | Nil    | Nil    | Nil                |
| Total     | Total                | 189    | 154    | 140    | 17                 |

***