Nurses - domestic help or sex slaves?

Working Women travelling to Gulf countries like Dubai and Qatar to work as nurses and domestic helps at Arab nationals’ homes often end up as sex slaves in the hands of their masters. A few unlicensed agents were found luring women in Godavari and Krishna districts offering Rs. 25,000 per month salary for jobs as domestic helps in Arab countries but invariably the women end up as sex slaves.

This issue of sex slaves came to the fore recently when four women sent to Dubai recently to work, protested upon being asked to oblige Arab masters and were brought back to AP safely after their agents were hauled up by local police.

Based on a complaint from the kin of the women, police registered two cases and arrested five unlicensed agents. A case was filed on March 7 at the Narasapuram police station and another case on the same day at Mogaltur police station under Sections 420 of IPC and Sections 24, Sections 5 (A) and 5(B) of Immoral Traffic Act by the police.

The arrested agents have been identified as Timothy, V. Prabhakar, Raj Kumar, Samesh and B. Simhachalam. All who do not have license, are out on bail now.

Narasapuram CI P. Ramachandra Rao said, “There is no agent having a valid license to send women to Gulf countries in Godavari districts. The agents are sending women illegally on visiting visa. Nearly 40 women were sent from Godavari and Krishna districts recently.” The police are now investigating and asked Interpol to provide security for these women working in countries like Muscat, Kuwait, Iraq Oman and Dubai.

The AP NRI Affairs Minister Dr Palle Raghunath Reddy has informed all district collectors to investigate such cases and also ask the job seekers to register and take help from the state government agencies instead of illegal operators.