Bahrain Tribune – Wednesday, October 11, 2005
Bon voyage
Compensation, tickets arranged for housemaids
Two Indian housemaids, Sangeeta Gaunkar and Theodora Monsurate, saw light of the day when the Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS) arranged for some compensation and a ticket back home.
Theodora, who left yesterday for Goa, faced the ultimate test of survival in her employer’s Askar home – newly arrived in Bahrain with the promise of a BD100 post as a nanny, she was made to work as a housemaid and paid just BD150 for five months of back-breaking work. In addition, when finally rescued by MWPS volunteers, she was a malnourished bag of bones, having survived on just dates and water for the whole period.
Bahrain Tribune – Wednesday, October 11, 2005
Bon voyage
Compensation, tickets arranged for housemaids
Two Indian housemaids, Sangeeta Gaunkar and Theodora Monsurate, saw light of the day when the Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS) arranged for some compensation and a ticket back home.
Theodora, who left yesterday for Goa, faced the ultimate test of survival in her employer’s Askar home – newly arrived in Bahrain with the promise of a BD100 post as a nanny, she was made to work as a housemaid and paid just BD150 for five months of back-breaking work. In addition, when finally rescued by MWPS volunteers, she was a malnourished bag of bones, having survived on just dates and water for the whole period.
“I was just not given any food whatsoever,” she said. “I survived on dates and water which were the only things I could lay my hands on. The last straw was when my employer refused to give me the salary that my agent had promised me, and forced me to accept BD150.”
Theodora, who has experience working in Dubai and speaks good English, ran away from her place of work last week, with her passport, CPR and some belongings.
“I walked the distance from Askar to Kuwait Road before a passer-by gave me a lift to the Sacred Heart Church and from there I managed to contact the MWPS people who helped me to file a case with the Indian Embassy,” she said. “I paid the equivalent of BD450 to the Indian agent and because my previous experience of working abroad had been good, I was quite unprepared for this terrible situation.”
MWPS volunteer Florine Mathias who handled her case later managed to get the sponsor to pay an additional BD50 and well-wishers contributed BD40 more so that Theodora could take a bank draft of rupees 10,000 home with her when she left yesterday for her home in Goa. A relative in Dubai paid for her air ticket.
“She stayed with us at our residence because our shelter is presently over-crowded and it was clear that she had undergone a trauma,” said MWPS vice-chairman Alfredo D’Souza. “During her stay with us, Theodora used to sleep long hours which is always a sign that the body needs physical and mental rest.”
He added: “Women who come to the MWPS shelter are often emotionally stressed and in terrible physical condition. The shelter, which houses nine women now is really over-crowded and we are very keen that the Ministry of Labour speeds up the process of establishing a permanent halfway home for abused maids because recent trends have indicated that this is a problem that is not going to go away and the MWPS shelter is only a temporary one and a small one at that.”
Sangeeta Gaunkar, whose case was reported in the Tribune in August, had claimed that she was owed 22 months’ salary by her Bahraini employer. Her case was recorded at the Labour Ministry in mid-August.
Her case too has been successfully concluded by the MWPS following protracted discussions with her employer. Although she was owed BD880 according to her calculations, her sponsor finally paid her only about BD500 but well-wishers, led by a Bahraini benefactor, made up a purse of about BD150 and also got her a ticket to return home.
“While it is always good news when these workers go back with at least some of the money owed to them and their dignity intact, we want to stress that this is not the ideal solution. The MWPS will always work for full implementation of the contractual obligations between the employer and the employee and for speedier dispensation of justice in the case of worse abuse,” said MWPS spokeswoman Marietta Dias.