The woman who brings them back
Anuradha Vobilisetty, talks about the problems migrant workers in the Gulf face
By : amrita paul
Update: 2014-08-28 22:42 GMT
Hyderbad: Anuradha Vobilisetty is a legal consultant working in Dubai, who assists migrant labourers from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
An advocate herself, Anuradha moved to the UAE in 2005, but like most expatriate lawyers, she is not allowed to practice directly in the country due to the Sharia Law. “In case of any crime, theft or accident, I am in charge of preparing the case files, but I can’t represent them. I can only be a translator, mediator and advisor for the workers.”
She admits that the migrant population from the two states is one of the highest in the country, “You have at least one person from each family in a village working in the Gulf countries,” she adds.
Most people who leave, usually end up mortgaging their properties or taking loans in order to arrange for the flight tickets and visa. And when they finally land in a distant country, they over-stay their visa.
“Often the company doesn’t renew the visa or pay their salaries, and as illegal migrants, the workers don’t even try to express their concerns to the Indian Embassy, thinking that they too are associated with the government there. As a legal consultant, I often have to convince them that the embassy is the only place which will provide them food and ensure their safe return,” she adds.
Anuradha, who is also associated with the Telugu welfare association, Shravanti, admits that in case something untowardly happens to a worker, it becomes quite cumbersome to track his roots. “We try and procure the data from the government and also have volunteers in labour camps to help us with collating information about the workers some of whom haven’t gone back home in over 20 years. But now they do try and keep in touch with their families.”
“Seven years back, six natives of Karimnagar were charged for the murder of a Nepali security guard at a construction site. They were given a sentence of life imprisonment (24 years). Recently, we managed to track down the family of the guard who demanded '12 lakh compensation, to be paid at once. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao stepped in and agreed to help us with the amount,” she says.
As a lawyer she also feels that while it is not possible to stop migration, but it’s important to let people know what they are signing up for.