Girl makes video seeking return of 'slave' mother from Saudi
After failing to get assistance from police, the children of Paramjit Kaur have now made a video, requesting the ministry of external affairs to aid the safe return of their mother. Paramjit Kaur, 39, left for Saudi Arabia on July 13 to work as a domestic help. However, on August 21, she informed her family that she was held captive by her employer.
In the video, Kaur's 17-year-old daughter Rajni seeks government intervention to get her mother back. Identifying her family as residents of Gorsiya Nihal, she says her mother was sold for Rs. 4 lakh in Saudi Arabia by a travel agent, Resham Lal Bhatti. "The police have not taken any action yet. We are poor and our mother has been suffering a lot," she says.
Kaur's husband Malkeet Ram has alleged that Bhatti had promised Kaur a job in Saudi Arabia. Bhatti had said his wife also worked there and the family would get Rs. 40,000 once Kaur got settled. However, when Kaur reached Saudi Arabia, her employer confiscated her passport and wouldn't let her leave the house. Bhatti, who reportedly has political connections, is still at large.
The video is the latest attempt by Kaur's family to reach External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. They have already shared Kaur's passport number on Swaraj's Twitter page but nothing has come of it yet. "My mother's health is deteriorating. We request Sushma Swaraj for immediate help," Rajni said. Kaur, a heart patient, has two children - Rajni and a 15-year-old son Luvpreet.
Sushma Swaraj's intervention had helped another woman's return in January'17. Sukhwant, 55, a resident of Punjab's Ajtani village, was also sold as a slave in Saudi Arabia on the pretext of job. After the media and Swaraj's help, she returned home safely on May 31.
