Beginning on April 1, 2023, female Sri Lankan migrant workers who enter the country illegally and journey abroad will not be allowed to stay at the safe houses of Sri Lankan diplomatic missions abroad.
According to a statement from the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), foreign missions will not offer safe shelter to women who travel abroad using shady intermediaries and without registering with the SLBFE.
The SLBFE originally claimed that foreign diplomatic missions had provided safe houses to aid female migrant workers from Sri Lanka who had encountered a variety of difficulties at work.
However, foreign missions offered safety shelters and other assistance due to an increase in Sri Lankan female migrant workers who had traveled through illegal agencies and without registering with the SLBFE and were having problems.
The SLBFE claimed that this was offered in an effort to reduce the number of Sri Lankan women traveling abroad as migrant workers through unauthorized job agencies and unregistered status with the SLBFE.
To encourage only those who use legal channels for finding work abroad, help with safety shelters and other necessities will be suspended for those who travel abroad illegally for employment.
