Woman jumps from building in Kuwait to escape bonded labour 

The victim, Sumathi from Tiruvarur, has two children. After separating from her husband two years ago, she was living with her mother, Rani (53), in Coimbatore. She has completed MA, said sources.

A few months ago, a woman approached Sumathi saying that there was a job vacancy in Kuwait with good salary. Sumathi, who was interested in it, paid money for arranging the visa, passport and ticket.In May, she went to Kuwait where an agent from Tamil Nadu picked her up. On the first day, she was sent to a house and asked to work as a maid. While Sumathi refused, the agent convinced her saying that it was a temporary job for one month, till her job gets confirmed.

However, Sumathi was treated as a bonded labourer in the house. She was made to work more than 20 hours a day. If she failed to work, they used to lock her up in a dark room and attacked her. When Sumathi wanted to go back to India, they had threatened her to pay Rs 1 lakh. Sumathi managed to convey about her condition to Rani, who filed a petition with State and Central governments. Recently, Sumathi jumped from the third floor of the house to escape from the house. While she was admitted to a hospital in Kuwait, the employers were not ready to send her to India.

Later, the National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM), an NGO, with the help of the Ministry of External Affairs reached Indian Embassy in Kuwait. Following that, Sumathi was rescued by Indian officers.