Harassed expat workers seek their passports back
Manama : Complaints by expatriate workers are on the rise after sponsors continue to illegally confiscate passports with no action by the officials.
A Filipino expatriate is stuck in a courtroom battle after her sponsor confiscated her passport and refused to give her a release.
Jeny Agbulig, an expatriate from the Philippines, who worked for Transport Offshore Reclamation Contracts, a private firm, as a staff cleaner and a caterer assistant is still waiting anxiously to get hold of her passport.
“Since May 2017, I have been trying to get my passport and my release but there seems to be no hope,” Jenny told DT News.
“I have been living off my friend’s money and there are days I couldn’t even afford to buy food and pay my bills. Neither the officials are of any help nor the embassy. Only after so many months the court put a travel ban on my sponsor and blocked his account but still, there seems to be no sign of my passport,” Jenny said.
DT News had reported on the incident previously when Jenny’s sponsor cancelled her visa demanding a ransom to get her passport back.
Similarly, an Indian expatriate, Rajesh whose father passed away on December 24, 2017, is still unable to return to his hometown as his sponsor allegedly refused to hand over the passport to him.
“Rajesh can’t leave the country until his visa expires or he gets an exit pass. The officials do not seem to be helping at all. We did try to ask the Indian embassy for help but there seems to be no hope. The case has gone to the court and we have no clue how long the legalities will take,” A said a source.
“I am so helpless and this is the most unfortunate thing that anyone could experience. All I asked was my passport to go back and perform the last rites of my father and take care of my mother who is very ill after my father’s death,” Rajesh said.
“I really hope this matter gets solved and I will be able to go back to my home country,” he said.
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