The Hindu : Kerala News : Woman rescued from sex racket

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Monday, Mar 31, 2008
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Kerala

Woman rescued from sex racket

She had gone to Oman on a fake visa

Kochi: A 29-year-old woman from Kerala was shocked to find herself trapped in a prostitution racket net after she flew to Oman to work as housemaid, a job promised by her travel agent.

However, she was recently rescued from a house following a joint raid by Indian Embassy officials and Oman police. Four persons, including a woman, hailing from Kerala were arrested for alleged human trafficking, embassy sources said.

The Investigations were on. She and her husband were in an undisclosed location in Muscat and still fear for their life.

Since the woman had come on a fake visa, the authorities wanted to launch proceedings against her. But she was innocent, the sources said.

The woman had left for Muscat on January 21 this year hoping to shoulder financial burdens of her husband whose business in Malappuram had gone haywire.

On reaching Oman, she realised that she was given a fake visa and had ended up in a prostitution racket, where she was forced to entertain about 20 to 30 persons a day, they said.

She finally managed to get in touch with her husband Shaukat (name changed) who was in Malappuram and narrated the ordeal. He managed to get a visa by contacting the same travel agent and reached Oman on March 14.

Shaukat was able to contact some people involved in the prostitution racket and tried to make inquiries about his wife telling that she was his friend’s wife.

He succeeded in locating her after paying about Rs.3,500 (35 Riyals) to a pimp, who took him to small room on the roof top where his wife was lodged.

Shaukat approached the embassy and she was rescued on March 23 following the raid.

Awareness scheme

Meanwhile, the Central Social Welfare Board, along with the Union Ministry for Overseas Indian Affairs, is drawing up a project for the welfare of women working abroad.

“The project, which is expected to be ready by April, is mainly for Kerala as lot of women from this State go to the Gulf to work as housemaids but end up being exploited,” Board Chairperson Rajani Patil said.

The aim was to launch some awareness schemes right from self-defence to handle any situation they were in. This would help them deal with difficult situations while in the Gulf countries, she said.

Complaints abound

About 200,000 Indian women are believed to be working as household service workers in the Gulf. Complaints of physical torture and abuse, non payment of salary etc., are abound, social activists here say.

The Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry had already made stringent rules with regard to women going abroad as domestic helps. – PTI

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