Caritas Sri Lanka Director Fr George Sigamoney used the occasion to slam the Sri Lankan government for its lack of interest in the plight of migrant workers. If we want to change this difficult situation, he said, the government must pay more attention to the problem and adopt laws that can protect the workers.  

Mgr Joseph Spitteri, apostolic nuncio to Sri Lanka, and Mgr Harold Anthony Perera, bishop of Kurunegela and chairman of the Catholic National Commission for Justice, Peace and Human Development, joined in the meeting that was held for the occasion.

Sri Lankan workers have emigrated to escape poverty or civil war. About 1.5 million of them live abroad, 93 per cent in the Middle East, this according to Caritas.

By and large, they are forced to work in often appalling conditions, deprived of almost all rights, required to work without adequate periods of rest, underfed, segregated, with the risk that they might not even be paid, suffering from physical and psychological stress as well as sexual abuse. However, their remittances are a major source of foreign currency for the country. For this reason, the government should pay more attention to their plight.

Fr Sigamoney, who led the event, said that Caritas is involved in a tireless job helping migrants. He mentioned the results it achieved so far and spoke about the ongoing campaign in favour of domestic workers whose goal is not only to raise public awareness about the problem, but also to link Caritas projects with similar initiatives by the United Nations and other international organisations.

Titled Duru Ratakata Yanni (Her journey to a far-off land), the 30-minute docudrama focused on the crucial circumstances facing women migrant workers.

“Migration is not the only solution to escape poverty,” said Sister Ushani Perera, coordinator of the Migrant Workers desk at Caritas-Sri Lanka. “However, as long as there are no real alternatives, we will promote safe migration and encourage workers to become skilled through our training programmes.”

According to Sister Ushani, about 90 per cent of women who migrate are young and with children, generally between the ages of 18 and 45.

After the meeting, Mgr Spitteri congratulated Caritas for its initiative, especially because the two guidebooks will certainly be “very useful”.

Chandrangani Gunatilaka, a Buddhist mother of two little children from the remote village of Galewela, attended the launching. She spoke about her bitter story of migration, describing how she got sick, how she was mistreated and how she came home penniless after working as an undocumented domestic worker in the Middle East.

Human Rights Watch issued a statement on 28 April highlighting the tragic situation migrant domestic workers face in Asia and the Middle East. In it, the New York-based human rights group strongly recommended that governments in the region take immediate action to improve these conditions.