‘Abused’ Malawian women flip flop

Some Malawian women, who reportedly asked government to repatriate them from Oman, have made a U-turn on the plea.

The women, most of whom are domestic workers, have for the past two years pleaded with government to repatriate them because their masters were abusing them.

Ministry of Labour spokesperson Nellie Kapatuka confirmed in an interview last week that some of the women are refusing to return home.

Kapatuka explained: “Government initially funded repatriation of 57 women but 19 opted to remain working in Oman. So, the 19 were replaced by others who, also, expressed interest to return home. So far 54 have since returned on this funding.”

She said there are 350 Malawian women working in the Middle East country.

Kapatuka said although the number of women complaining about poor working condition in Oman has dropped due to improved cooperation between Malawi and that country, there are six new cases of women wanting to return home.

Reports of human rights abuses and labour violations started emerging on social media in 2021.

Most of these women, aged between 22 and 38, found themselves in the Middle East after local recruitment agencies engaged them without government knowledge.

Following their plea to be repatriated, government sent a delegation to Oman in November 2022 and Treasury later released about K400 million for, among others, air tickets, buying off the women’s contracts and other logistics.

In October last year, the delegation travelled to Oman again for further negotiations and repatriation processes.

But Kapatuka said some of the women attributed their change of mind to lack of jobs, capital for business and general poverty back home while others expressed improved working conditions at their workplaces.

Labour expert Fungani Nyirenda observed that while the issue may be complex the women might have snubbed government because of the reality that they would start life from scratch.

He observed that most girls travel abroad to work and live a good life as a result the repatriation would have meant coming home empty-handed.

Other reasons include low self-esteem, guilt, or a belief that they can change the toxic person.

“So, it could be a state of disgrace, financial dependence, anxiety and worry about social implications, including isolation and stigma, which they don’t want to encounter when back home, hence, the change of mind,” said Nyirenda.

But human rights advocate Masauko Thawe described the women’s move as unfortunate.

“What they have to know is that most perpetrators of abuses pretend to have changed at some point but they remain ‘wolfs in sheep skin’. We were all concerned with their plight and it is sad that they decided to snub government’s assistance, which they initially asked for.

“These women must not think they are in comfort zones, time will come when they will face the music gain and it will be difficult for government to intervene again,” said Thawe, who is also Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) regional chairperson for the South.

However, he has advised government to continue engaging Oman authorities for improved working conditions.

Lilongwe-based Grace Chiphukusi, 26, who returned home with the help of Do Bold, urged fellow Malawian women not to be lured to work in Oman.

Chiphukusi, who lasted barely six months in Oman, said she was promised over K500 000 a month but she only got an equivalent of K100 000.

Do Bold is an international organisation that helps migrant workers in the Gulf countries.

In an interview, Do Bold founder and director Ekaterina Porras Sivolobova said the repatriation issue was not “as simple as it sounds”.

Last year, 23-year-old Ida Chiwalo from Mangochi died in Oman after her employer dumped her at a private hospital.

Chiwalo was in Oman barely four months after she was trafficked from South Africa where she had travelled for greener pastures.