MUMBAI: A social worker from Mumbai, after spending a hellish three months in Kuwait, was reunited with her circle of relatives on Tuesday.
Saira Shaikh (38), a mom of three, was looking for donations for a community wedding ceremony when she was presented to Kasim S, proprietor of a placement company. Kasim requested Shaikh if she and her husband, Haider, want to work in Kuwait. “I was informed there have been jobs within the unorganised sector for taking a look after in poor health patients. We had been to fly to Kuwait from Hyderabad,” said Shaikh. “But when the departure date arrived, Haider’s visa wasn’t ready whilst mine was stamped only a few hours earlier than getting onto the flight. On September 6, I reached Kuwait with many women from India. An agent named Ali met us and said he would work on our documents,” she said.
Shaikh was in for a surprise when the agent despatched her to a mansion to work as a domestic assist for an Arab circle of relatives. “There had been 25 individuals and greater than a dozen rooms. I was supposed to cook dinner, clean, mud and mop all alone. Work began round 6am and went on till 11pm without a break,” said Shaikh, who worked there for a month. Her passport have been taken away. After pleading with her employer to let her make a few calls, she contacted Ali and said this wasn’t the kind of task that she was promised.
Ali accumulated her wage from her employer and took her to his own home. For the following 22 days, she was pressured to work in Ali’s area, assaulted when she protested and stripsearched on one occasion and photographed. She was not allowed to depart the house and her phone was taken away. She alleged that she was introduced sedated drinks a couple of times which led to her to lose consciousness. After she agreed to work as a assist, Ali found her a task with another Arab circle of relatives. “The new employers did not assault me however the work hours had been long and tough. Every day, I'd move up to the terrace and discover tactics to flee. But I did not know the native language or have native currency,” she said.
However, she managed to make calls to her husband in Mumbai. He approached Harmony Foundation in Santacruz.“I got in touch with the ministry of exterior affairs and they put me through to the Indian embassy in Kuwait. But the laws in Kuwait restrict the embassy from entering a personal person’s home despite the fact that it's for rescuing an Indian nationwide,” said Abraham Mathai, chairperson of Harmony Foundation. Mathai communicated to Shaikh that she would have to flee her employer’s home and reach the embassy for protection.
On December 2, she sneaked out of her employer’s area and got into a taxi. “I was apprehensive as I had no documents. The motive force grew to become out to be a good guy and did not price me. At the embassy’s refuge, I discovered 60 other women who had run clear of their employers in equivalent cases. The embassy complained to the police and got Ali caught. His record confirmed 4 earlier lawsuits and that he have been jailed. Through data provided by means of him, the authorities retrieved my passport from my first employer,” she said. She was then repatriated and reunited with her circle of relatives on Tuesday.
Saira Shaikh (38), a mom of three, was looking for donations for a community wedding ceremony when she was presented to Kasim S, proprietor of a placement company. Kasim requested Shaikh if she and her husband, Haider, want to work in Kuwait. “I was informed there have been jobs within the unorganised sector for taking a look after in poor health patients. We had been to fly to Kuwait from Hyderabad,” said Shaikh. “But when the departure date arrived, Haider’s visa wasn’t ready whilst mine was stamped only a few hours earlier than getting onto the flight. On September 6, I reached Kuwait with many women from India. An agent named Ali met us and said he would work on our documents,” she said.
Shaikh was in for a surprise when the agent despatched her to a mansion to work as a domestic assist for an Arab circle of relatives. “There had been 25 individuals and greater than a dozen rooms. I was supposed to cook dinner, clean, mud and mop all alone. Work began round 6am and went on till 11pm without a break,” said Shaikh, who worked there for a month. Her passport have been taken away. After pleading with her employer to let her make a few calls, she contacted Ali and said this wasn’t the kind of task that she was promised.
Ali accumulated her wage from her employer and took her to his own home. For the following 22 days, she was pressured to work in Ali’s area, assaulted when she protested and stripsearched on one occasion and photographed. She was not allowed to depart the house and her phone was taken away. She alleged that she was introduced sedated drinks a couple of times which led to her to lose consciousness. After she agreed to work as a assist, Ali found her a task with another Arab circle of relatives. “The new employers did not assault me however the work hours had been long and tough. Every day, I'd move up to the terrace and discover tactics to flee. But I did not know the native language or have native currency,” she said.
However, she managed to make calls to her husband in Mumbai. He approached Harmony Foundation in Santacruz.“I got in touch with the ministry of exterior affairs and they put me through to the Indian embassy in Kuwait. But the laws in Kuwait restrict the embassy from entering a personal person’s home despite the fact that it's for rescuing an Indian nationwide,” said Abraham Mathai, chairperson of Harmony Foundation. Mathai communicated to Shaikh that she would have to flee her employer’s home and reach the embassy for protection.
On December 2, she sneaked out of her employer’s area and got into a taxi. “I was apprehensive as I had no documents. The motive force grew to become out to be a good guy and did not price me. At the embassy’s refuge, I discovered 60 other women who had run clear of their employers in equivalent cases. The embassy complained to the police and got Ali caught. His record confirmed 4 earlier lawsuits and that he have been jailed. Through data provided by means of him, the authorities retrieved my passport from my first employer,” she said. She was then repatriated and reunited with her circle of relatives on Tuesday.
Mumbai: 'Maid in hell' recounts Kuwait ordeal
![Mumbai: 'Maid in hell' recounts Kuwait ordeal]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
December 19, 2018
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