Thousands from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh in Iraq

Hyderabad: While the official Protection of Emigrants records for 2014 reveal that only five people have gone to Iraq, the experts said that there were many more who have gone to the strife-ridden country in search of work.

The ministry of overseas Indian affairs, in an RTI reply, has revealed that there were 16,000 Indian workers as per estimation of Indian Missions. The details of ‘Emigration Clearance Required’ category workers, who were given emigration clearance to 17 notified countries during 2009-2012 (till October), showed that there were 390 people in 2010, as many as 1,177 in 2011 and 659 in 2012 who had gone to Iraq.

Another RTI reply said six Indians were stranded in Iraqi jails. However, specific details of the offences committed are not known.

“It is a very serious situation in Iraq. Families here are worried. There are no telephones or any other means of communication. There would be about 2,000-3,000 people from Telangana and AP who would have travelled to Iraq. Many went there to work as construction workers at Basra, Erbil, Moia and other places and would get paid about $400-700 a month for eight-nine hours of work every day. Many Indians also work in the Nato American military camps. The Government of India had banned entry of its citizens into Iraq then and people had entered illegally, but now it is open again,” informed M. Bheem Reddy, vice-president, Migrants Rights Council.

Sister Lissy Joseph, coordinator, National Domestic Workers Union added, “Just this year, there were a 100 more from AP who went to Iraq. Majority of them being women from East and West Godavari. Many of them are taken to the country just on a tourist visa and end up being stuck as bonded labourers.”

She said there was no Kasala system in Iraq, where a commission agent sponsors the trip for these semi-skilled workers in the informal sector.