Woman’s Dh60K rent dues stalls amnesty
sharjah — Unlike many amnesty-seeking individuals in the UAE who are struggling to make ends meet, this 55-year-old single Indian mother-of-two has a unique skill that has helped her survive some very turbulent times. Despite that, Kareemunnisa Hussain is now running from pillar to post to make her life in the UAE legal.
Originally from the south Indian city of Bengaluru, Kareemunnisa Hussain has been living in Sharjah for the last 14 years. Though she initially arrived to a thriving business environment run by her now estranged husband, some financial misdemeanours including a few bounced cheque cases, resulted in his deportation from the UAE.
Though she and her children Amir and Sarah (original names withheld to protect identity), aged 17 and 20 respectively, have been living undocumented in Sharjah since March 26, 2014, Kareemunnisa refused to beg for alms to make ends meet. Instead, she put her skills as a handicraft maker to good use. She started making bags as a hobby and later, the sale of these novelty items under the brand name ‘Heritage Caravan’ helped pay for her family’s sustenance in Sharjah.
“I began making bags, jewellery, tunics, and clutches to sell them at flea markets in Dubai. We paid for our living expenses by selling these things. Sometimes, when tourists were impressed with our designs, I would get bulk orders and make about Dh1,500 or so. I could pay for food and other expenses with this money,” she explained. All products are hand-made and Kareemunnisa uses local material to make the bags, jewellery and tunics.
“We could never promote the handicrafts business because my kids and I are living in constant fear of getting caught for living illegally. Finally, when the UAE amnesty was launched in August, it was a new ray of hope for us,” Kareemunnisa explained.
Unfortunately, when the mother applied for amnesty in August, the immigration authorities granted pardon only to her two kids and rejected her petition. Unknown to the mother, a case against her was registered at the Sharjah Municipality for non-payment of three years of rent amounting to Dh60,000.
Matters go from bad to worse
“Our bad times began in 2011. My husband Asghar Hussain’s business fell apart and because of several financial cases we lost, he was deported. We are estranged now,” she explained. After her husband left, Kareemunnisa did not see a point in returning to India. “My children came here when they were very small. There is nothing for them in India,” she added.
Furthermore, her kids had to abandon their education two years ago. “The rental dispute came as a shock to me. We used to live in a flat in Rolla, and we had no means to pay rent for three years. We got an eviction notice from the municipality and we shifted to a sharing apartment in the Mysaloon area,” she added. The family continues to live there.
Ever since Kareemunnisa’s amnesty appeal was rejected by the immigration authority, she has been running from pillar to post trying to clear the outstanding rent. “I can’t afford the amount. We make hardly Dh1,000 to Dh2,000 from the sale of novelty items. I’ve been begging, going to different charities — but no help has come through so far,” said a tearful Kareemunnisa.
The aged mother wants to continue to live a life of dignity by selling these products in the UAE. “When we are living illegally, we can’t use our resources creatively to market our products. I know they are good, people show a lot of interest in the flea markets. But I am living in constant fear,” she added.
We could never promote the handicrafts business because my kids and I are living in constant fear of getting caught for living illegally.” Kareemunnisa Hussain, Indian amnesty-seeker