Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Aug 27: The efforts of ministry of external affairs in bringing back Karkala nurse Jacintha Mendonca, who was trafficked as a bonded labourer to Saudi Arabia, seem to be turning futile as her employer is adamant that she will not send her back before she completes her two year contract. This means, that Jacintha has to work another eight months for her freedom.
In June 2016, Jacintha (47) was promised job as a house nurse in Qatar by travel agency Trio Tracks Travel, New Delhi but later sold to a Kafil (employer) in Saudi Arabia as a bonded labourer. When Jacintha’s plight was highlighted in the media, minister of external affairs Sushma Swaraj assured help in a ‘tweet’ and roped in Indian embassy officials at Saudi Arabia to take action.
Jacintha now works for a relative of her sponsor in Yanbu. Indian Embassy’s Consulate of Jeddah who took up the case, contacted the relative. However, she refused to send Jacintha back as she has not completed her two year contract.
Earlier, when the embassy had contacted her Kafil, he had made it clear that Jacintha won’t be allowed to return until 24,000 Saudi Riyal is paid to him.
On August 23, Jacintha’s daughter Velita had received a call from nurse in Yanbu saying that her mother has been brought to a health centre by Kafil’s family as she was suffering from severe weakness and headache. Jacintha had told the nurse to help her by contacting her family and told to tell that she was being starved and severely tortured.
On receiving this information, the embassy again called up Jacintha’s employer who confirmed that Jacintha was taken to a hospital but for a minor headache and has been given treatment.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF), Udupi, which is working for safe return of Jacintha has slammed officials of Embassy of India, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for not being able to take concrete action. Also, lethargic attitude is shown by the police in arresting agents who are responsible in selling Jacintha, says Foundation president Ravindranath Shanbhag to the media.