the existence of all these regulations, the workers have not been able to get good protection in the host countries.” This leads us to the question of what sort of roles do embassies play in these countries. “Embassies should play a more pro-active more in listing the workers who enter the countries. They should keep a good track or especially those workers who have enter the countries illegally. Both embassies and the host countries should adopt a protocol that is pragmatic and better attuned to the needs of both employers in the host country and their guest workers.” India is taking some active measures in order to ensure the right of its workers. According to The Indian News article by Aroonim Bhuyan, any employer recruiting an Indian
citizen will have to approach the Indian Embassy or Consulate with another Indian national who will serve as a character witness; that is to say, the employer is of good social, political and economic standing. The employer will also have to submit an application to be permitted to recruit a domestic worker. “The Phillipines Embassy too,” says Lucas, “has been able to provide asylum to workers in dire need who have approached it. However, the real problem lies in finding workers who need help. And, there is some reluctance to provide help to the workers who have entered the host country illegally.” Despite of the efforts of recruitment agencies and embassies, abuse of foreign domestic workers remains widespread. Reports of the workers or the government pressing charges against the abusive employers are rare as well. “The reports of abuses are numerous and against employers very less. However, I hope that they are isolated cases and not the norm,” Al Alkandri says. “Preventing the workers from working in these countries is not an easy task.” The primary problem for migrant workers, and partially the solution, lies in the proper enforcement of the laws in the domestic sector; which, as of now, is not reliable. ■ advertisement
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