Hyderabad: A Hyderabad woman named Sakina Fatima was rescued in November after being tortured by her employer in Hafar Al Batin, Saudi Arabia. Since then, she is staying in the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia and waiting for repatriation.
The Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) party which had raised her case earlier too has requested External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to speed up the repatriation process.
Recused after Hyderabad woman’s brother wrote letter
Last year in November, Sakina’s brother Syed Zaker Hussain wrote a letter to the Minister for External Affairs, appealing for her rescue. In the letter, he explained that Sakina, who was in search of a job to look after her family after the death of her husband, was approached by a local agent and offered a job as a housemaid in Dubai. The agent promised a three-month visit visa and said that if she liked the job, her visa would be extended to two years. However, after three months, she wanted to return to Hyderabad as she was not paid any salary.
Instead of sending her back, Sakina was sold to an Arab family in Saudi Arabia and forced to work for 18 hours daily. Even after her mother passed away, she was not sent back to India. After learning of her situation, concerned authorities rescued her and moved her to the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
Awaiting repatriation
Since November, Sakina is staying in the embassy and awaiting repatriation. MBT has requested the External Affairs Minister to intervene and expedite her repatriation process.
The case highlights the plight of many workers from India who are lured to the Gulf countries with false promises and end up trapped in exploitative work situations.
