The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake

¶ 01 Since only about four Members are speaking on my motion, taking an extra 3–4 minutes should be fine, Mr. Presiding Member.

¶ 02 In 2016, as Finance Minister, I set a USD 350 monthly minimum wage for outbound workers. About six months ago, I inquired from Minister Wijitha Herath and the Ministry and saw partial progress. Please decide quickly to ensure that minimum. Nepal, the Philippines, and India manage this well. Sending people anywhere without standards is unfair. While rupee depreciation aids remittances, purchasing power has eroded; if we can bring in more dollars, good. We must act before—not after—tragedies. Hence this proposal.

¶ 03 Migrant workers face crimes and physical violence: trafficking, passport confiscation, nonpayment of wages, sexual abuse, and forced labour. Some are sent to places different from those promised—people from my district said they ended up tending horses and camels. Illegal detention and financial fraud occur; some are forced into cybercrimes in Myanmar and then they, not the syndicates, get arrested. Colombo now faces this too—with arrivals from Vietnam and Malaysia. There are house arrests. We need a special, accountable, tech‑enabled unit, faster prevention, stronger law enforcement, international linkages. That is my aim.

¶ 04 We receive USD 8.4 billion; we could reach USD 10 billion. Therefore, the proposed unit should include: an emergency protection section; international coordination; a missing persons and death inquiries section; a fraud and recruitment monitoring section; a women and child protection section; a workers’ protection section; and an economic protection section. Protecting migrant workers is not just charity; it is economic strategy. Countries like the Philippines, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Indonesia—poorer than us—are ahead.

¶ 05 Human rights and state responsibility must prevail. The Sri Lankan passport should not be treated as a risky document. The state’s duty does not end at the airport gate. Our mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons who go for work are not export goods; they are citizens whose sweat strengthens our reserves and economy. Ensuring their safety is a duty of this Parliament. We must build a system so every Sri Lankan abroad knows their country won’t abandon them. A nation is measured not by how it treats the powerful but by how it protects its vulnerable. I urge all 225 Members to legislate for this.

¶ 06 Thank you.