Avoiding another Rizana tragedy

The possibility of stopping the execution of Rizana Nafeek sentenced by a Saudi Arabian court without providing her free legal aid and with the proceedings conducted in a language that she did not understand appears to be receding. This teenager from Mutur would have falsely indicated her age, to escape the troubled conditions in Mutur at the time she left Sri Lanka in May 2006.Actions that can be taken by the government to minimise the danger of a repetition of this episode are given below.

International action: There is a need to alert ILO, Asian Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International and other leading human rights organisations to negotiate an international agreement to secure basic human rights for workers in the informal sector, particularly housemaids. Free legal aid by the host countries and exclusion of confessions made under duress are necessities.

The system of bondage under which a house-maid has no option to decline to work, if the conditions are intolerable is no better than slavery which has been a part of the Middle-East culture. Terms of employment must provide the right of the employment agency to contact the housemaid after a few days of employment to check whether conditions are satisfactory and if not, to find her alternative employment.

Job vacancies: Rizana might have secured employment in Sri Lanka, if she was aware of the job vacancies in Sri Lanka. According to apparel sector sources, there are thousands of vacancies in Sri Lanka, in every part of the island. The overall package is better than the package offered to housemaids in the Middle East countries, when taking into consideration the risks and the social cost. Government owned media institutions could provide a service to the nation by advertising job vacancies in the formal sector for entry-level jobs free of charge. This will increase the circulation of the newspapers and the ratings of the TV and radio programmes.

Training: The baby who died of choking might have been saved, if Rizana had been given training in handling a baby and first aid. A certificate issued by the Foreign Employment Bureau indicating the areas covered in the training should help to insist on a minimum monthly salary of US $ 250 for all countries and perhaps a higher minimum salary for high-risk Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. With unemployment at 6.2% and even lower for young people without degrees, there is a need for planning the placement of this scarce resource to maximise the overall returns to our young people.

I hope this letter will attract the attention of all the relevant ministries to formulate a joint strategy to prevent a repetition of this painful episode.

By Lal de Mel, Via email