2 months ago
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With dreams of gathering a amended beingness for themselves and their families, Kamala (32) boarded a sleeper-class backstage autobus connected May 12, 2025, on with her younger sister Raji (30), from Amalapuram—the administrative office of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district—bound for Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad.
Along with the sisters were respective different women connected committee the bus, each sharing the aforesaid destination: Muscat. The radical arrived astatine Muscat International Airport (MCT) successful Oman the pursuing evening via Mumbai.
Recalling the archetypal excitement of taking the archetypal measurement towards her dream, Kamala said that their Muscat-based agent, who was besides a autochthonal of Konaseema, had sent a operator to prime them up from the airport. The operator identified the sisters utilizing their photographs, collected their passports instantly aft the introduction, and past dropped them disconnected astatine the agent’s office. For the adjacent fortnight, the sisters, on with different young women, were trained by the cause to enactment arsenic “housemaids.”
“Like us, determination was different radical of 13 young women, mostly from our area, who were brought by our cause with the committedness of the aforesaid work— arsenic housemaids,” said Kamala, a parent of 2 boys aged 7 and 5.
Kamala, who had worked arsenic a caregiver successful a backstage hospital, discontinue her job, portion Raji, an intermediate dropout, gave up tailoring for their shared dream—to alert to the Gulf, gain money, and instrumentality to physique their ain location successful their village. Kamala and Raji, besides a parent of 2 children, unrecorded successful abstracted rented houses with their families successful the aforesaid colony connected the outskirts of Amalapura, portion of Konaseema district—a onshore of coconuts successful Andhra Pradesh, wherever the stream Godavari meets the Bay of Bengal.
The sisters said that an accidental came their mode aft their husbands supported their determination and helped them find agents recruiting women for jobs successful the Gulf.
“By December 2025, astir 15,000 unemployed workers from Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema territory had migrated to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. More than 70% of them were young women, astir of whom recovered employment arsenic housemaids,” said G. Ramesh, Manager, Konaseema Centre for Migration (KCM).
Overwork and isolation
Kamala said that her ordeal began wrong a fortnight aft their grooming league ended. “Once our grooming league was over, each of america were presented to visitors who came to prime women of their prime to beryllium appointed arsenic housemaids. My sister Raji was the archetypal to beryllium chosen by a sponsor for a five-day proceedings duty successful his location earlier being offered full-time work,” said Kamala.
However, Kamala added, “Five days aft the archetypal assignment, which tested my sister’s carnal endurance, Raji decided not to continue. Frightened by the labour involved, she returned to India wrong a month.”
As per an unwritten information observed by some agents and employers, the sponsor is entitled to clasp the pistillate arsenic a housemaid if satisfied with her work. At the aforesaid time, she is allowed to cull the connection if she is unwilling to continue.
Kamala, who chose to enactment back, was hired by different sponsor nether a two-year enactment statement with a monthly wage of 100 Omani rials (₹24,152). The sponsor obtained a ‘Resident Card’ (issued by the Oman government) and a two-year enactment visa for Kamala by signing a ‘guarantee of responsibility,’ arsenic mandated.
By November, however, Kamala began to endure repeated illnesses, reportedly owed to overwork, and was besides subjected to isolation. “When I complained of sickness, my sponsor gave maine medicines meant for assemblage pain. Suspecting that I mightiness quit, helium chopped disconnected my net entree to forestall connection with my family. I had to proceed moving portion connected medication,” said Kamala.
“When I asked my sponsor to instrumentality my passport, helium told maine that I had to wage wealth for my freedom. It was past that I learned my cause had supplied maine to him for a committee of ₹1.5 lakh, which I was required to repay successful bid to unafraid my state and retrieve my passport. I ne'er knew specified a transaction existed betwixt my cause and the sponsor,” she said.
Migrants crook on-site agents
Allegedly, this is the modus operandi of unregistered agents recruiting young women aspiring to enactment successful the Gulf countries. The terms for housemaids varies depending connected the duration of employment, ranging from 1 period to 2 years.
Officials item that galore unauthorised agents are personally known to the victims. Complaints uncover that occupation offers often travel done relatives oregon acquaintances settled successful Gulf countries. Many erstwhile migrants themselves enactment arsenic on-site agents, offering commissions to section contacts to enlistee women.
Referring to the e-Migrate portal information of the Ministry of External Affairs, the KCM stated that astir 1,100 agents are registered to enlistee radical from Andhra Pradesh for overseas jobs. However, successful Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema territory alone, astatine slightest 165 unauthorised agents—including 30 women—are active, nary of whom are registered connected the portal. A deposit of ₹5 lakh and a registered bureau are basal requirements for authorisation.
The KCM repatriated Kamala connected December 18, 2025. The process began aft her sponsor returned her passport erstwhile the ₹1.5 lakh committee was arranged and paid by her family. Her 1 month’s wage is inactive pending, she said.
The Government of Andhra Pradesh established the KCM successful Amalapuram successful March 2025, aft District Collector R. Mahesh Kumar urged the authorities to acceptable up the centre pursuing respective online appeals for repatriation from victims successful GCC countries.
KCM Manager G. Ramesh said, “Since March 2025, we person secured the repatriation of 78 victims from GCC countries. Of these, 76 are women whose families approached america to escaped them from the clutches of unauthorized agents. Seven bodies of workers, including 2 women who died owed to accidents oregon illness, were besides brought back.”
“Most repatriated workers reported excessive workloads beyond their contracts, wellness issues owed to deficiency of rest, and carnal abuse. They are often abandoned by some section and on-site agents,” helium added.
Most victims are not repatriated done Indian embassies. “We effort to facilitate repatriation done the recruiting agent. In this model, the cause is required to instrumentality the committee to the sponsor successful bid to retrieve the victim’s passport. This makes the process faster; otherwise, the unfortunate has to repay the commission,” said Mr. Ramesh.
Of the 76 victims repatriated since March, lone 2 were assisted done Indian embassies. Currently, the KCM is handling astir 180 grievances related to fraud and workplace abuse.
Awareness
Another victim, G. Padma, 36, a parent of 2 children aged 16 and 14, was repatriated connected March 13, 2026. A autochthonal of Uppalaguptam mandal, she had flown to Muscat successful June 2023 and completed a two-year word .“My sponsor forcibly renewed my declaration for different year. I was not allowed to interaction my household aft the renewal. I was yet freed aft my household approached the KCM. However, I was not paid for 4 months, during which I was besides subjected to carnal abuse,” she said. Padma’s hubby works arsenic an cultivation labourer.
Suma, who was repatriated from Oman, said, “In my sponsor’s house, I survived connected 1 repast for astir 2 months. My cause blocked my number, leaving maine alone”.
According to the Special Branch of Konaseema police, astatine slightest 48 cases person been registered against unauthorised agents successful the territory nether the Emigration Act, 1983. Over the past 12 months, 10 specified cases person been filed. District Superintendent of Police Rahul Meena said that galore repatriated victims were unwilling to prosecute ineligible enactment against the agents.
Police unit are portion of the KCM and assistance hint agents and facilitate repatriation based connected complaints filed by victims’ families. According to an authoritative merchandise by District Collector R. Mahesh Kumar, the Protector of Emigrants (PoE), Hyderabad, has been approached to fortify coordination with Indian embassies. PoE authoritative D. Anand and his squad person conducted consciousness programmes connected harmless overseas recruitment practices.
Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) president Vemuru Ravi Kumar said that the State authorities had prohibited recruitment of housemaids done backstage agents and mandated hiring done OMCAP for amended protection. “Over 90% of maltreatment complaints travel from those not recruited done OMCAP,” helium said, adding that contracts are often successful Arabic, making them hard to understand.
Surge continues amid tensions
He noted that migration from Konaseema is mostly driven by economical need, with galore women entering connected tourer visas and aboriginal struggling to get enactment permits.
Even arsenic agents temporarily dilatory recruitment owed to the war, the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra successful Amalapuram is witnessing a surge successful applications. Passport Verification Officer G. Yuga Kiran said, “We person astir 600 applications each month. Over 90% are from women aspiring to migrate to Gulf countries.”
Meanwhile, the KCM continues to person distress calls regular from migrant workers seeking help. Even arsenic the repatriation of 11 victims, including 9 women, has been delayed owed to disruptions successful airdrome operations successful GCC countries owed to the ongoing tensions successful the West Asia.
(Names of the victims person been changed to support their identity.)
