Govt moves to repatriate 376 girls from Oman

Government has expressed optimism that 376 Malawian female domestic workers stuck in Oman and facing various forms of human rights abuses will be repatriated soon following negotiations that have started between the two countries.

Speaking in separate interviews on Thursday and Friday last week, Minister of Labour Vera Kamtukule and Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson John Kabaghe said an inter-ministerial delegation from Malawi went to Oman from October 16 to 21 2022 to request for the immediate discharge and subsequent repatriation of the domestic workers.

According to Kamtukule, the Malawian delegation met some of the domestic workers and communicated with others by phone due to time limitation and the long distances between their workplaces.

She said: “The women complained of numerous human rights abuses and labour violations. Currently, engagement with the Sultanate of Oman continues. The two governments are working on modalities to acquire a shelter to accommodate the women.

“In the interim, the Malawi Government is actively trying to secure private or religious shelter spaces. The Malawi Government in conjunction with other stakeholders is also working to ensure the quick discharge and repatriation of the victims.”

Kamtukule also said to contain the situation, the government will immediately submit a request for the suspension of domestic work visa to Oman and further to this, a draft Bilateral Labour Agreement will be submitted to Oman to ensure protection of both the existing and future Malawian workers.

She said it was further agreed that those who are facing criminal charges, including those that do not have visas should go through court processes.

 “Those with contracts of employment can only come back if they repay the money to the employment agents or sponsor. The delegation has since recommended that the government should just pay. The amount is about $114 000,” said Kamtukule.

On his part, Kabaghe corroborated Kamtukule’s sentiments describing the meeting as successful. He said the process of repatriating domestic workers will start soon.

But he said due to the nature of their recruitment process, the women’s discharge faces a major hurdle as most of them left Malawi for Dubai on tourist visas.

He said: “In Dubai, they signed a legally binding two-year contract to work as domestic maids in Oman. The discharging process, therefore, requires the consent of the person who obtained the visa for them, and in most cases a discharge fee is paid for early termination of the contract.”