>Jinu Jacob , a nurse from Kerala, had been in Yemen for three years before the strife forced her to return in April. She was glad to have escaped the bombs and bullets, but the happiness of being home was > short-lived because of the mounting expenses and lack of jobs.
Ms. Jacob is now moving to Dubai. “Salary is very less, nobody respects nurses. We get no benefits; we are only made to work. Besides, If I work outside India, they respect us more,” she told The Hindu on why she chose to leave India again despite her harrowing experience.
The abduction of four Indians in Libya has once again forced attention on the issue of Indians, like Ms. Jacob, who opt for working in conflict zones in West Asia. The lure of jobs that would help repay debts and support families back home compels many Indian nationals to continue working in countries despite repeated government advisories.
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Many of those who have fled from war-torn countries such as Libya and Yemen are still on the lookout for jobs abroad. What is more distressing is that despite the advisories asking them to leave, many choose to serve in extremely dangerous conditions, forcing the government to undertake massive evacuation efforts as in Yemen, Iraq and Libya.
For instance, Libya had over 18,000 Indians before the conflict in 2011, but, despite advisories, hardly anyone left. Eventually, the government evacuated 15,000 people by mid-2012 as the civil war worsened and over 3,000 people still opted to stay back before they were brought back in 2014. The government said nearly 2,000 people had opted to go back.
Referring to this trend of Indians seeking jobs in difficult conditions, Rajiv Sikri, former Ambassador and Secretary (East), External Affairs Ministry, said: “It is more a reflection of lack of opportunities in India. We, as a society, need to find why so many people go abroad to work in hazardous conditions. That is the reality and we need to think about it.”
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He stressed “the solution has to be found within India”.