Ven. Akmeemana Dayarathana Thero, President of Sinhala Ravaya

Ven. Akmeemana Dayarathana Thero, the president of the Sinhala Ravaya organization, said the foreign employment sector should be digitized to ensure the safety of migrant workers.

The Sinhala Ravaya organization, Lanka Janatha Pakshaya and the Organization for the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers held a silent protest in front of the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment in Narahenpita.

Speaking to the media Ven.Akmeemana Dayarathana Thero said;

Now the main source of income for the country is the income generated by our migrant workers. The migrant worker is the one who keeps this country going. After a worker goes abroad, the embassy in that country has a responsibility to ensure their safety. But the people in our foreign missions enjoy luxurious lives and do not help our workers.

An embassy should provide solutions and help our migrant workers when they face difficulties. Even though protests were held in front of the our embassy in Oman, justice has not been done.

Today, the some migrant workers have become slaves. Their rights are violated, some of the workers are forced to work 24-hours a day and their salaries and wages are not given properly. Unable to express their grief, workers sometimes resort to suicide. The government should take steps to address such issues.

They can go in luxury vehicles, but they also should take steps to protect the rights of migrant workers. That responsibility rests with the government.

It is evident that Minister Manusha Nanayakkara is ready to take action in this regard. When a Sri Lankan woman or man goes to a foreign country for work digitize their details and include them in a database.

Make it possible to relay any information to them or for the workers to inform authorities in a speedy manner using new technologies such as SMS, a voice message or other online methods.

We are not asking to stop sending workers abroad. What we are saying is to ensure their rights, provide insurance facilities, give them good working conditions, ensure worker safety and security and facilitate them with technologies to inform officials promptly when they are facing problems.

We can see Minister Manusha Nanayakkara taking certain measure regarding above issues. We request that it be coordinated properly and ensure justice for these workers.

Madhubhashana Prabhath Ranahansa, Sinhala Ravaya’s Propaganda Secretary said:

Take measures to bring back the people suffering in front of our embassy in Oman. Fraudsters take these people for work on visit visas and leave them stranded in that country. These people are being cheated. It is wrong to deceive people in this way and send them into slavery. As a ministry bring measures to prevent such happenings.

Connect the worker going to a foreign country with technology and ensure a direct connection with the ministry. Digitize these things. Now we are not in the Stone Age but in the age of modern technology. We demand the use of digital technology to protect the lives of migrant workers and ensure their safety.