The Hon. Chandima Hettiaratchi

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I move the following Adjournment Motion:

¶ 02 “As a solution to household economic difficulties, many women go abroad for various jobs. Official statistics indicate that over 200,000 migrant workers leave annually; including unregistered departures, the number may be much higher.

¶ 03 Those who go without registering with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment often end up in low-paid, precarious jobs, and face exploitation, abuse, and unfair treatment. Especially as undocumented migrants, their legal protection is limited and they risk deportation without any benefits.

¶ 04 Therefore, the Government must urgently implement a proper programme to create meaningful, long-term protection for unskilled workers: mandatory SLBFE registration for all migrant workers; structured, sector-relevant pre-departure training; educational and skills development programmes; orientation on migration pathways and procedures; and financial literacy training.

¶ 05 To that end, institutions including the SLBFE must be strengthened and properly regulated, and where necessary new laws enacted or existing laws updated.”

¶ 06 Hon. Presiding Member, let me present some facts. The most vulnerable migrants are women. In 2022 there were 4,500 complaints from our migrant workers; 81% were from women. In 2023 there were 7,535 complaints; 80% were from women. In 2024, 2,478 complaints were recorded by that time. According to the SLBFE’s records, in 2024 there were 910 court cases filed against both licensed and unlicensed parties violating the law. The SLBFE’s Annual Statistics of Foreign Employment 2023 shows complaint categories such as lack of communication (507 cases) and being stranded without employment (611 cases). The world has advanced, yet our people are still stranded abroad without ways to communicate and are in distress—even as we send them to earn vital foreign exchange.

¶ 07 From the Hansard of 09.03.2023 (Q/A No. 381), the numbers in SLBFE safe houses on 28.02.2023 were: Oman 58, Dubai 69, Riyadh 10, Jeddah 4; total 141. Why? Because regulatory responsibilities are not properly fulfilled. In COPE we saw, from officials’ responses, that instead of regulating, the SLBFE itself had begun to send people abroad even on visit visas. A state institution cannot behave like that. This must be corrected.

¶ 08 Please ensure proper regulation. Some of our people abroad have been tortured with spikes and nails. About 80 of our citizens have died after being drawn into the war in Russia. A group of Sri Lankan youth are trapped in Myanmar, with parents being asked to pay ransoms. There are groups who suffered harassment in Kuwait and have returned. Sixty soldiers bound to the Russian army are being repatriated. Incidents of this nature are numerous.

¶ 09 We also saw news reports that 58 harassed domestic workers were repatriated. Hon. Presiding Member, this situation must change. In the past, some politicians used the SLBFE for their own business. We must change this. We have promised justice to our people. Therefore, by making or amending laws as needed, let us urgently ensure justice and fairness for our citizens and their children.

¶ 10 Thank you.