CAMPAIGN FOR MIGRANT RIGHTS REQUESTS PRESIDENTTO INTERVENE

Though funds to save Rizana have been collected it is only the intervention of President Rajapaksa which can bring her back to Sri Lanka

The Campaign for Migrant Rights yesterday said that saving the life of Rizana Nafeek a Sri Lankan teenager who was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for unintentional homicide in 2007 was in the hands of the Sri Lankan President.

Women’s rights activist and Attorney-at-Law, Nimalka Fernando at the 2012 International Migrants’ Day held in Colombo said that although funds to save Rizana had been collected by the NGOs and INGOs in Sri Lanka, it was the president who could save her.

“Though funds to save Rizana have been collected only the intervention of President Rajapaksa can bring her back to Sri Lanka. So her life is in his hands,” she said.She added that, no funds had been allocated in the Sri Lankan budget for migrant workers who broughtthe majority of the capital to strengthen the economy of Sri Lanka.

“The budget has not even allocated 5 cents to safeguard the rights of migrant workers. Instead, the state benefits from migrant workers earnings and from the money they pay to the Foreign Employment Bureau. Unfortunately, exporting labour has become the main economic strategy of the Sri Lankan government at present,” she said.

The President of the Migrant Workers Front (MWF) K. Velayudam said the ratification of the ILO C189 on domestic workers rights and protection should be accepted as a law in Sri Lanka and implemented.

“Politicians use the words ‘national heroes’ (rataviruwo) to talk about the services rendered by the migrant workers to the country.

But if they cannot accept the ILO C189 as a law to safeguard the rights of the migrant workers who bring an income of around Rs six billion to the country, then what is the use of these words?” Velayudam questioned.