Mgr Oswald Lewis heads the Office for Labour of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Together with the Justice and Peace Commission, the Office seeks to "ensure protection for all Indian workers." In addition to issuing passports and checking contracts for irregularities, the authorities should monitor migrants, as well as collect information about employers and migrants’ places of destinations.

New Delhi (AsiaNews) - The Indian government has called on Saudi Arabia to provide justice to migrants victims of exploitation, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said this morning.

The minister referred to parliament that Prime Minister Modi spoke with Saudi King Salman Al Saud, demanding justice for the Indian woman who had her hand cut off by her Saudi employer because she had tried to escape from constant harassment.

When Kasturi Munirathinam’s story became front-page news, Indian public opinion was incensed.

Most of those “emigrate in search of work are skilled and well-trained people,” said Mgr Oswald Lewis, bishop of Jaipur and head of the Office for labour of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI).

However, he told AsiaNews that “some extremely poor people are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse by employers. Hence, the Catholic Church has called on the government to monitor them when they go abroad.”

The victim’s family filed a complaint against the employer, "and called on the Indian government to deal with the case,” Mgr Lewis noted. “The Catholic Church too asked the government to intervene. They said they would do everything possible to help the woman."

“The majority of those who travel to foreign countries in search of employment, including in the Gulf States, are skilled workers, with regular contracts,” the bishop explained. “Many are doctors, nurses, engineers or health workers. These people live well and have no problems.”

However, “Sometimes cases of exploitation in the Indian Diaspora involve migrants who are poor, marginalised or uneducated, victims of domestic and other abuse. Some are beaten or cheated by promises of well-paying work. Others are prevented from returning to India because their passports are taken.”

The problem "is that the government does not pay attention to them”, the prelate lamented. When migrants go to foreign countries, "the government does not monitor what they do.” Instead, “It ought to check out migrants’ place of destination, place of origin workers, as well as the employer’s reputation.”

Unfortunately, “After issuing passports and checking contracts for any irregularities, it stops monitoring Indians abroad.” For this reason, “we want the government to care for everyone who leaves India."

The prelate added that the CBCI’s Office of Labour is divided into several departments, like migrants or domestic workers, which work with the Justice and Peace Commission to ensure the protection of all Indian workers.

The Office also issues reports and petitions the authorities, as it has done in Kasturi’s case, "to protect Indians and ensure their living conditions abroad."

• india
• saudi
• arabia
• employers
• mistreatment
• kasturi