Welfare system for migrant women workers’ young children favoured

Anjana Samarasinghe

WELFARE SYSTEM: The Middle East Employees’ Federation proposes a strong welfare system for children of migrant workers, to eliminate social problems, rather than putting a halt to mothers who have children below the age of five years from taking up low-end overseas jobs.

Both the Federation and the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies expect to meet the Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare, Keheliya Rambukwella to discuss the issue.

Chairman, Middle East Employees’ Federation, Ranjith Nanayakkara, told the Daily News that Sri Lanka should focus on a strong and strategic welfare system for children of women migrant workers without banning their migration.

In the Philippines there are government organisations that look after children of their women migrant workers. Sri Lanka too needs to adopt these systems, he said.

It is important to safeguard their jobs and create a safe work environment with high salaries. This will enable women migrant workers to earn a large amount of money and return to their families in a short period of time, he said.

Encouraging more male workers to obtain overseas jobs could stop women migrations, he said.

However there is no mechanism to identify women who have small children when they apply for overseas jobs. There are no personal records of migrant women at the Foreign Employment Bureau, he said.

President of the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies, U.T.M. Anver, told the Daily News however, that restricting women with little children in having overseas jobs, is a good initiative. But this should be done gradually.

There should be strong welfare centers for these kids in every district which could ensure their welfare when their mothers are out of the country, he said.

The sudden restriction could impact on employment prospects and foreign exchange earnings for the country, he said.

The Cabinet has approved legislation on preventing mothers who have children below five years of age from taking up low end jobs overseas and it is to be enforced soon.