Tortured in Oman since April, Kapurthala woman rescued

Tribune News Service

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Kapurthala, August 24

Forty-year-old Rajni (name changed), a resident of Dhandal village in Kapurthala, who was evacuated from Muscat (Oman) by Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney, returned to her family on Wednesday after suffering torture for months.

Abused & beaten

I was beaten up and abused by the family for whom I worked as a maid for months. I used to work day and night but was not paid properly.

—Victim

Mother of a 14-year-old daughter, Rajni had gone abroad in April to earn money for her daughter’s operation (she had a lump in her throat). The victim broke down several times while talking to The Tribune. She said she had to return home empty-handed and traumatised.

Rajni said her husband is a daily wager. “Main khaali hath gayi si, te khaali hath hi aa gyi. Kuch nai kr paayi parivaar leyi (I had gone there empty-handed and had to return without a penny. I couldn’t do anything for my family),” the woman said in a choked voice.

“I was beaten up, abused and tortured by the family for whom I worked as a maid. I used to work day and night but was not paid properly. Once when I received a little amount, I immediately sent it to my family for my daughter’s treatment,” she said.

“I would beg my employers to let me talk to my family but they would not allow me. My daughter became depressed and would cry for hours because of no contact between us.”

Rajni said she would never think of going abroad now, given the amount of harassment she had to face. “I will work here now. We are very poor and do not have any money. I need to earn for my family,” she said.

MP Sahney, who has rescued 58 women from Oman until now, said: “We began this mission in May and 42 FIRs have been registered so far, but we need to identify members of the organised gang who lure these women and send them abroad to suffer.”

The MP added that the rescued women were being given training in skill centres so that they can be rehabilitated. “In addition to Amritsar and Ludhiana, we will open a skill centre in Jalandhar,” Sahney said.

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