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by Florence Wickramage

Sri Lanka's overseas employment program has worked on a temporary basis and the necessity has now arisen for the Overseas Employment Bureau to be replaced with an Overseas Employment Authority with full legal powers to protect Sri Lankan migrant workers' said G.D.G.P.Soysa Director , Migrant Service Centre of the Bureau.

Sri Lanka ranks among the world's 20 main exporters of labour services, and the success of over 20 years of an overseas employment program undertaken by the country needs to be evaluated, he said.

The country's foreign employment program is handled by the private sector and monitored by a State Bureau. Stiff competition exists among them. These private concerns charge exorbitant fees from job seekers, offer lower standards of employment and sometimes expose migrant workers to unanticipated risks, Mr. Soysa observed.

While stating that the majority of Sri Lankans exposed to this situation are housemaids, he points out they are not protected by labour laws and have no human rights while they are out of the country. The distinction between slavery and employment in this situation is rather thin. Feminization of migration has posed the greatest challenge for the Overseas Employment program. The "Commodity supply approach of select, train, pack, insure and export" needs to be done away with, Mr. Soysa stressed.

The glaring reality of this program is that Sri Lankan Embassies functioning in foreign countries are not geared to protect women who run away from inhuman and frustrating situations, specially in the Middle Eastern countries. The Embassies very often send the women back to the employer or to the police after inquiry.

Considering the extreme situations that Sri Lankan migrant workers face, the setting up of an Overseas Employment Authority with sufficient influence over the several Departments; State Agencies; Training and Human Resource Department institutions engaged in manpower preparation becomes an urgent priority.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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