An NGO has come up with a striking revelation that migrant job seekers from south Indian state Tamil Nadu are facing severe hardships including sexual abuse, non-payment of wages and confiscation of their passports largely in Middle East and South East Asia.
Unscrupulous agents and employers depriving them of basic needs are making the lives of thousands of migrant job aspirants bitter, the NGO 'Grama Iyakkam' said quoting various real-life incidents.
Even in the countries where punishment for such offences is severe, the workers do not lodge complaints, fearing further harassment, the 'Grama Iyakkam' members said in a seminar organised at Sivaganga recently.
"Expatriate workers from Tamil Nadu are mostly working in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman etc. Majority of them are forced to live and work in appalling conditions. While female employees have to suffer sexual abuse, the non-payment of
wages and confiscation of passports are the main hardships which their male counterparts have to go thorough," an NGO member said.
Hotel workers in Malaysia and Mauritius complained about their passports being taken away by employers and being forced to work for 18 hours without proper food and rest.
Some from Middle East said they were being blackmailed by their employers in the name of their overstay.
Mohammed Basha, a worker in Malaysia said he was promised a good job by his agent but landed up in meager work with far lesser pay and no benefits.
Another worker Balakrishnan claimed he had been framed in a case by his employers and had to suffer a lot before escape.
They suggested that agents misleading workers from rural areas be monitored and all brought under some centralised network, at least at the state-level to monitor how many were being recruited and placed in jobs.