‘Suraksha’ safe houses to not accept women migrant workers not registered with SLBFE

Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has decided to suspend the admission of women, who have expatriated without registering with the SLBFE and arrive at Sri Lankan embassies due to issues at their workplaces, to the ‘Suraksha’ safe houses.

Issuing a statement, the Foreign Employment Bureau states that the decision will come into effect from April 01, 2023.

The ‘Suraksha’ safe houses have been established under the Labour Welfare Divisions of Sri Lankan embassies overseas in order to provide shelter and welfare facilities to Sri Lankan women, who have expatriated after registering with the SLBFE and arrive at the embassies to obtain different services they need.

Those safe houses have been established only for women who have lawfully migrated for employment, the SLBFE said. Nevertheless, the Foreign Employment Bureau has also provided all necessary welfare facilities to women who have gone abroad without registering with the bureau, it added.

There have been media reports of certain instances where women who have not migrated after registering with the SLBFE have created conflicting situations when they arrive at ‘Suraksha’ safe houses, while at certain instances the assistance of the police have also been sought to control such situations.

Accordingly, the Foreign Employment Bureau has decided to suspend the admission of women who have been expatriated without being registered with the SLBFE for employment through various unlawful means, to the ‘Suraksha’ safe houses.

The decision has been reached as a measure to encourage women to migrate for employment via legal means, and to encourage them to refrain from seeking foreign employment through the involvement of various brokers and unlawful foreign employment agencies, the SLBFE emphasized.