Foreign embassies should be kept in the loop if their nationals seek help from a proposed government shelter for distressed expatriate workers, according to a leading diplomat.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Ambassador Chilman Arisman said diplomatic missions should be informed of court cases against labourers and involved in rehabilitating them when they run into problems.<\/p>\n
He told the GDN their involvement would ensure services offered by the facility will not be abused by any party.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to look into the number of people the shelter can accommodate and ensure proper employees work round-the-clock so that workers in distress are not left unattended,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be people from different nationalities housed in this facility, who face similar problems that require a set of guidelines to ensure the services provided are not misused to accommodate any person.\u201d<\/p>\n
The residential sanctuary, which was proposed by the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations, will provide legal, medical and psychological support to expatriates who run into difficulties in Bahrain.<\/p>\n
A permanent location for the purpose-built shelter has yet to be found as plans to open a temporary facility are being discussed.<\/p>\n
Mr Arisman said officials from ministries concerned should also act as mediators between expatriates and their employers to ensure out-of-court settlements.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are talking about people who face problems, such as conflict with their employers, which require moderators to solve the case between the two sides,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have to follow up the cases in court, which could take years to settle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best way to overcome this problem is to mediate with the employer of the party concerned to end any sort of misunderstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Co-operation<\/p>\n
Mr Arisman said they handle many cases of runaway domestic workers, who are housed at the embassy\u2019s shelter until their problems are resolved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are about 9,000 Indonesians working in Bahrain who are an integral part of the society, with majority of them being employed as domestic workers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have some cases of runaways and even human trafficking that are being dealt with by the embassy.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the diplomat wants to change the image of his country in the Middle East, which is seen as a recruitment agency for housemaids.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to divert to recruitment of skilled workers that will add value as Indonesians feel at home in Bahrain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that an Indonesian delegation visited Bahrain last month to discuss the development of skilled Indonesian workers in Manama.<\/p>\n
They met Labour Market Regulatory Authority chief executive Ausamah Al Absi to explore the situation of Indonesian workers in Bahrain and aspects of co-operation regarding workers\u2019 recruitment, protection, awareness, legal rights and duties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Foreign embassies should be kept in the loop if their nationals seek help from a proposed government shelter for distressed expatriate workers, according to a leading diplomat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[36,551,110,136,540,254],"yoast_head":"\n