Establish Safe Migration Promotion Unit, Select Committee on gender equity tells officials

The Select Committee of Parliament to ensure gender equity and equality recently instructed the respective authorities to implement a ‘Safe Migration Promotion Unit’ as a three-month pilot programme to prevent illegal migration.Instruction, pertaining to the aforesaid, was given at the Select Committee meeting held under the Chairmanship of Sudarshini Fernandopulle.

The meeting was called for to review the actions taken, pertaining to the November 2022 human trafficking incident, reported in Oman. Many officials, representing the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Defence, and Ministry of Justice, were present at this Committee meeting.

The Committee noted that establishing a new unit could help to prevent fraudulent activities, such as entering the country, on a tourist visa, and then obtaining a work visa. They instructed that a pilot project be implemented and that a report be submitted, within three months. The Committee also discussed the possibility of implementing the unit, through a special task force, consisting of the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Defence.

The Committee asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to reinstate the No Objection Certificate (NOC) system, which was previously suspended. The NOC system is designed to protect workers from being exploited by fake agents who used the suspension of the system to take women to Oman, on tourist visas, and then offer them jobs that are not what they were promised. The Ministry’s officials said that they have already discussed this with the Omani government and that steps are being taken to reinstate the system as soon as possible.

The Select Committee of Parliament also instructed the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Employment to look into the possibility of implementing the affidavit system in Sri Lanka, which is in place like in the Philippines.

The officials said that the amendments to the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau Act are expected to be passed soon. These amendments will regulate sub-agents and intermediaries. The Select Committee also instructed the Foreign Employment Bureau to raise awareness, at the divisional secretariat level, about the fraudulent activities of fake foreign employment agencies.