DILI, 28 june 2022 (TATOLI) – The Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion (SoSEI) has pledged to find solutions to ensure the seven Timorese workers in Dubai are protected and safe.
“SoSEI will cooperate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MoFAC) to find solutions for the seven Timorese female workers who are currently suffering in Dubai,” the Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion, Maria do Rosário Fátima Correia told TATOLI, in Dili.
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She stressed that talking about protecting these Timorese workers in Dubai is part of the responsibility of MoFAC, but saying it’s also part of SoSEI’s responsibility to cooperate with relevant authorities to find a solution for these workers.
Correia said SoSEI’s responsibility is to advocate for the rights of women and girls: “Therefore, we will collaborate with relevant ministries to know the condition and the whereabouts of these female workers in Dubai.
“We will talk to MoFAC to see what we can do to repatriate these women back to Timor-Leste,” she reiterated.
She added people are the center of the development, thus SoSEI will put effort to ensure that no one will be left behind.
Last week, the Acting Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães said the Government of Timor-Leste would find a solution for the seven Timorese female workers who are currently suffering in Dubai.
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He said the government’s responsibility is to ensure the safety of the Timorese citizens overseas: “We need to ensure our citizens are protected overseas and safe from any illicit activities.”
The President of the Republic, José Ramos Horta has also previously expressed his concern with the situation of the Timorese workers in Dubai, pledging to talk with the government to repatriate these workers.
The seven Timorese workers work every day from 9 am to 9 pm and earn only 200 Dirham which equals US$54.
These workers are desperately crying for help and wanting to return home. However, their current employers demanded US$80.000 in compensation for the money it has spent on sending them to Dubai.
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One of the workers who identified with the initial A explained that their rights were violated by the employers due to the worst condition and situations at their workplace.
“We have had enough suffering, and we want to go back home. We don’t have a labor contract and they keep our passport which means they don’t want us to leave Dubai. We keep hiding our mobile phones because if they know that we have them with us then they will take them as well,” she said.
In addition, another worker who identified with the initial ECdR recounted that they were recruited by the Timorese Recruitment Agency known as Universal Institute Professional of Management (UIPM): “They promised us lots of good things. They told us that in Dubai, we can work while studying at the same time. But what we are experiencing right now is the opposite. Imagine, we live in the worst place compared to our home country. We can’t afford to buy food and drink ourselves with the US$54 monthly salary.”
Jornalista: Osória Marques
Editór: Cancio Ximenes/Nelia Borges
Translation: Filomeno Martins
