Jalandhar: A young woman from Jalandhar, who faced very harsh conditions in Oman and returned home through the efforts of Rajya Sabha member Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, claimed she saw many girls from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India living in extremely poor conditions.According to her, girls were being sold from one employer to another for amounts ranging from 1,200 to 1,350 Omani riyals. She said that she left for Dubai on Feb 14 after being promised a job with a monthly salary of ₹40,000. “However, after reaching Dubai, the travel agents kept me there for a month, before sending me to Muscat, where I was forced to perform domestic work from early morning until late at night. There was no fixed time for sleep and no opportunity for rest. Waking up before 5 am was mandatory every day,” she said.She further stated that whenever she expressed a desire to return to India, she was treated harshly and even subjected to physical abuse. Her family approached Seechewal for help on June 4, who then contacted the ministry of external affairs and the Indian Embassy. She returned to India on June 14.The victim revealed that upon arrival, girls’ passports and documents were often confiscated, and they were forced to work from early morning until midnight. They were kept virtually confined inside homes or offices, with no permission to rest or go outside. Many girls did not even know the area or city where they were being held, she said. MSID: 131891002 413 |
