Following Citi News’ reportage on the maltreatment meted out to some Ghanaian women who work in the Gulf States, the family of one of the victims has said they have been given a one week ultimatum by a Kuwaiti recruitment agency to pay $3,000 for the return of their sister.
The victim, who was promised a hairdressing job and an academic course to help her develop her skills, was rather forced to become a house help upon arrival.
[contextly_sidebar id=”0Hhdb1OJXZWsB0P2cLouAXgCMFbmDiKk”]But for the fact that she kept in touch with one of her brothers she will still be working as a house help.
The victim is now at the agency in Kuwait waiting for her family to send three thousand dollars before she is allowed to return to Ghana.
Speaking to Citi News, a brother of the victim explained that “when she arrived in the country, it was not a hairdressing job, she was sent to a certain lady’s house and she worked from 7 am in the morning to 11 pm in the evening before she was allowed to sleep.”
He said: “I got worried and I told her that she should tell the woman that the father is dead so she is really needed in the country for some customary rites and after that she will return. So I called the agent in Kuwait and I told her that but the agent told me that she has to pay 3,000 dollars before she will be released because her previous madam paid for all her expenses.”
“I just called my sister and she told me that the agent in Kuwait is giving us a one week ultimatum to produce $3,000 other than that he is going to sell her to another person so that she will go and work,”he added.
Maame Yaa’s story
Maame Yaa, another Senior High School graduate was also deceived by a recruitment agency in Kuwait.
She was told she will be working at a Supermarket but she was rather asked to do a house help job.
When she arrived in Kuwait she realized she has been deceived by the recruitment agency with regards to the kind of work she had been recruited for.
“I got there before I realized I was going to work as a house help,” Maame Yaa said.
She narrates that she immediately exhibited her displeasure at the nature of the job to one of the agents in Kuwait called Asiedu.
She said : “they didn’t tell me I was coming be a house help so I asked that they send me back to Ghana.”
Ater being a house help for two weeks with a Kuwait family she narrates that “One night I was there when the woman asked me to carry some bags of rice. I told her I can’t carry it. Immediately I told her that, her small daughter slapped me. I got angry and slapped her back.”
After this incident Maame Yaa was asked to pack her belongings; she was taken to the police station.
The Police called her agency and asked them to deport her to Ghana. But the agency was reluctant to deport her; they needed to make some money out of her.
She said “Asiedu[recruitment agent] asked me to go back to that family and be of good behaviour since my family will not be able to raise the money for me to return.”
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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