FOURTEEN more Zimbabwean women arrived in the country yesterday from Kuwait where they were subjected to slavery.
The women were lured by a syndicate of dubious employment agents who promised them lucrative jobs in the tiny Arab country.
Government funded the return of the women through the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
The women were welcomed at the Harare International Airport by Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs chairperson Cde Kindness Paradza.
“As these 14 women were arriving here, we received reports that four more women had arrived at our embassy in Kuwait waiting for repatriation.
“Government has facilitated the payment of their air tickets and is going to pay for those who are going to come,” he said.
The women travelled to Kuwait in groups of 15. They are unaware of the whereabouts of some of their colleagues.
Cde Paradza said women indicated some of their colleagues were exported to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan.
“What is needed now is to launch further investigations to see how these women who are still unaccounted for can be located,” said Cde Paradza.
One of the victims is said to have attempted suicide as she could not handle persecution by her employers.
It is not known what happened to the woman.
The 14 women who landed at the Harare International Airport yesterday evening would have medical check-ups and counselling before they are taken to their homes.
Cde Paradza applauded the Government for working tirelessly to bring back the women.
The women are also expected to help investigations into the human trafficking saga
LESSONS FOR TODAY
Five years ago, desperate job seekers from Zimbabwe fell prey to human traffickers. There is need for would-be international job seekers to be careful when engaging any immigration agent.
Don’t be a victim of immigration scams! If you need advice on immigration matters, make sure the person helping you works for the embassy of the country you want to migrate to, or is an authorised Foreign Affairs ministry official.
Be wary when engaging agents who promise you lucrative salaries and other benefits. They normally use this as a bait to lure unsuspecting job seekers.
Be careful when searching for immigration information online. Although there are loads of legitimate websites to check out immigration and citizenship services, others, offer false guarantees to take your money or steal your private information.
Never agree if your consultant leaves any step of immigration and promises you that he/she will do it after your departure or once you immigrate to the country where you are going. In a number of cases, this never happens and these migrants are termed illegal and are instantly deported.