PROBE INTO 8 GOAN WOMEN HELD CAPTIVE IN ALBANIA

PANJIM: The commissioner for NRI affairs has written to the Indian embassy in Albania regarding eight Goan women allegedly "held in captivity" by their employer in the East European country.  "It appears that Goans have been taken to Albania by a recruitment agency in Goa for employment, where they have been harassed and detained. Our office has written to the Indian embassy in Albania seeking to know the status of the women," NRI affairs director U D Kamat said

Eight Goan women, along with 12 other women from India, who had travelled to Albania for employment are reported being harrassed and detained in that country.  NRI affairs director U D Kamat said that the commission has taken cognizance of a report that 20 Indians, including eight Goans, have been detained by their employer in Eastern Europe.  He added that no complaint from the families of the alleged Goans victims had been received.

The incident came to light after one Santhosh Jose, husband of P R Raji, one of the women in distress, approached Kerala's then opposition leader Oommen Chandy (now chief minister) to get the Centre to intervene in the matter. Jose said the women sought help from the government, alleging that they were duped by their employer and dumped in a dark room without food and water after they asked for their promised salaries.

According to reports, Raji claimed the women had been promised a minimum salary of $200, plus overtime, for making bags. They were made to stand during the nine-hour shift, except for a short lunch break and forced to make 7,100 bags a day. When the women ended up making 2,500 bags they were paid $2 a day, which when converted to Indian rupees ids approximately Rs 2,400 a month.

The women, including eight from Goa, five from Kerala and the rest from Mumbai and Chennai, reached Berat in Albania on April 19.