Minister calls for proposals to halt sending Sri Lankan women overseas as housemaids

Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara says he has sought proposals from officials of the SLBFE and foreign employment agencies to “completely stop” sending Sri Lankan women overseas to serve as housemaids.

Taking to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), the Minister stated that he has urged the management of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) and the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA) to submit proposals and plans to completely stop sending Sri Lankan women overseas to work as housemaids.

Nanayakkara emphasised the importance of halting the practice of sending women for overseas employment as domestic workers and instead proposed that women should be encouraged to seek foreign jobs in high paying skilled categories of work.

Issuing a statement in this regard, the Ministry stated that as per a discussion held between Minister Nanayakkara and members of the ALFEA on Tuesday (20 Feb.), the Minister had stated that the said proposals should include the views and suggestions of all stakeholders.

He further emphasised that the target should be to completely halt Sri Lankan women migrating overseas for domestic work within the next ten years and enhance prospects for them to seek employment in skilled categories instead.