Rescued widow narrates ordeal in UAE

On January 28 this year, she left Chennai for UAE, through an agent, who promised her Rs 20,000 per month, for a housekeeping job. For Nazia, who hails from a poor background, this was a life-changing opportunity. “My husband passed away and I have my children to take care of. Once I reached UAE, I was met by a lady agent, who took away my passport and documents. I started working for an Arab family, but the work was very hard. I used to work for 21 hours daily, till 1 am. Then at 4 am, I was woken up again for work. The family also used abusive, vulgar language on me. Within two months, I went back to the agent’s office there, stating that I couldn’t work,” recalled Nazia. 

The agent kept Nazia in a small room for a month, until she agreed to work again for someone else. “With the second family too, I faced the same problem. I started developing health issues and my mother in India too fell sick. I just yearned to come back home,” said the widow. 

When she approached the agent again, Nazia was asked to pay Rs 1.8 lakh, to return to India. In panic, she called her son, who approached the Directorate of Emigration, Ashok Nagar. “Since the agents had sent me on a three-month tourist visa, it amounted to staying illegally in the country. The office couldn’t do anything – they directed us to the National Domestic Workers Federation (NDWF), which has social workers in UAE. They said that until I was with the agent, getting me back would be difficult,” she said. 

To circumvent this, Nazia agreed to work again. “The social workers had contacted me through the vegetable sellers and asked me to meet them at a particular time, 500 meters away from the home. After two failed attempts, when I couldn’t get to the location, we finally made contact on August 21 at 6.30 pm,” she said, recalling the experience vividly. She was taken to the Indian High Commission. 

The authorities summoned the agent in UAE, who had collected Nazia’s monthly salary but was not paying her. Her documents were returned and she returned to Chennai on September 19, emotionally scarred. 

This is a common scenario, where greedy agents prey on uneducated, poor women, sending them to work in Gulf countries under hard conditions. Often, these migrant workers don’t know the local language and are alienated and abused. Activists say that the lack of awareness is the biggest challenge, as most of these women are promised a big salary and better life, but are left in harsh circumstances. 

Recalling her harrowing experience, Nazia has one piece of advise to those aspiring to work in the Gulf, “If you are an engineer or a doctor receiving an offer to work in the UAE, go ahead. But if you are an uneducated person like me, don’t fall into the trap,” she said.