“I can surely say that we are empowered and feel more confident
now,” says a returnee migrant worker
I am Rajiv from Gengapattu, Thiruvanamalai
District. I have a daughter and a son. Both of
them are studying in a private school. I have my
own house. I worked for five years as a cook in
the hotel “Nila” in Thiruvanamalai. As years
passed, I started facing financial crisis and
found it very difficult to support the needs of
my family. Therefore, I decided to go abroad in
search of work. In order to go abroad, I
borrowed Rs. 5 lakhs at a very high interest and
went to Kuwait in 2017. Apart from that, I also
took a private loan of Rs.60, 000. Now I have
paid Rs.18,000 already and the rest of the
amount is still to be repaid. My wife shoulders
the responsibility of the family and repays
Rs.3,061 every month to the money-lender.
Being a domestic worker in Kuwait, I was physically tortured
and ill-treated day and night apart from being given heavy
work. I was not properly paid the salary as well. I was even
thrown out of the house since I requested the due salary for my work. Since I requested for my
salary, all my belongings were thrown into the street. The pathetic situation and ill-treatment in
Kuwait made me depressed, helpless and broken physically. I was completely in the darkness
because I knew no one in Kuwait. I literally lived a life of a beggar and spent many days without
proper food and basic needs. I gave a police complaint against the employer. When the police
enquired, the employer accused me of stealing from the house and misbehaving with women in
their family. I was falsely accused of several other offences and the police put me in prison. I was
tortured and punished unjustly. During the lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19 with the help of
my family members I was rescued from Kuwait.
After returning to India because of depression I went into coma and was admitted to Puducherry
hospital for treatment. In spite of regular treatment, I remained in vegetative state. I have a lot
of debts to be repaid and struggle to manage my medical and educational expenditure of my
children. Having lost hope in life, support from a civil societies came as ray of hope to my family.
These organizations offered Rs.60,000 for our livelihood support. With this initial amount my wife
bought 40 rice bags and generated the income. Besides this she too bought 26 sarees and sold
them all in valuable price. I can surely say that we are now empowered, self-sufficient, and more
confident in running the family. We are surviving because of the gift of God through them.
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