A woman from Punjab's Kapurthala, who lived to tell her account of survival in Muscat, the capital of Oman, has now revealed that many like her are sold to locals in the Gulf country, only for them to be forced into "immoral activities".
In a report published by The Indian Express, the woman in question, Rani (name changed) was able to make it back home thanks to the efforts of Rajya Sabha member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, who took it upon himself to contact the Ministry of External Affairs and get Rani back.
But according to Rani's own admission, not all the women from Punjab who are suffering this ordeal in Muscat are so lucky. A number of them are still stuck in the Gulf country sans any hope of return.
Rani, according to her account, came back to India after spending two months in Muscat. She revealed that women from Punjab are being taken to the Gulf country on the pretext of jobs (like a caretaker or a domestic maid). However, instead of jobs, they fall victim to the flesh trade as they are being sold to locals who are forcing them into immoral activities.
Rani alleged that women who find themselves in such situations are threatened and beaten up as soon as they land in the country. Any form of resistance is met with keeping one hungry for a considerable period.
Rani revealed that it was her maami (aunt) who had shipped her off to Muscat on March 16 on the pretext of a job.
“My aunt said that I could earn a good amount of money there (Oman) while working as a ‘caretaker’ in a hospital with a promise of a Rs 30,000 per month salary,” she revealed to the publication.
Rani's travel agent, also a woman, had charged Rs 70,000 from her and then proceeded to sell her to some local people in the country.
“When I landed there on March 16, the agents there took my passport and phone, and I was locked up in a room. No food was given to me. Later I found that 35 other women from Punjab were also locked up there. I was put up with them. When I asked the agents to send me to the hospital for the ‘promised’ caretaker job, they started forcing me to indulge in immoral activities which I resisted and refused outright. The refusal came with a price as they beat me up mercilessly,” Rani said.
She further added that when she called her maami, the latter's advice for her was to do whatever was asked of her by the Omanis.
Rani told the publication that a small meal was provided each day to her and the 35 other trapped women "so that they don't die".
Rani said that she was unaware of such incidences that often come to the fore on social media since she has not had any education.
The Punjab government should launch an awareness drive against such frauds in the state," Rani said.
The reason behind Rani going to Oman was her five-year-old daughter, whose future she wanted to secure.
Rani's husband, Hardeep Singh, had approached Seechwal on May 16, and within five days, she was back home.
The RS member who helped Rani return to India said, “On May 16, Rani’s husband approached my team. The same day we wrote a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs seeking help from it to bring her back.”
Seechwal made an appeal to the central government, asking it to keep tabs on dubious travel agents who indulge in such practices. He said that these agents usually make a two-year contract with these women, thus hampering their chances of returning.