The Indian diaspora in Qatar has urged Indian government to create a separate registration cell with details of domestic workers being sent from various Indian States to Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Qatar.
“Philippines maintains a comprehensive data of domestic workers coming to Gulf countries. We also want India to have a similar database. We do not want Indian domestic workers to become victims of unscrupulous recruitment agencies,” Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) and Indian Community Benevolent Forum member Uma Srinivas told reporters.
The forum works for those Indians who are in duress. According to her, most domestic workers come from Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, and that on many occasions, agencies recruiting them mislead them. “They will have no clue about the working conditions, what are their entitlements and whom to approach during emergencies,” she said.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) sources said there were more than 5 lakh Indian domestic workers in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and that a new set of guidelines had been issued to protect them. “An exclusive cell is needed to protect unskilled workers and also a need to train them before they come to a new country,” another delegate from Qatar said.
