Woman’s ordeal in Kuwait ends with Tirunelveli Collector’s efforts

When the agent informed P. Valli, 36, of Thenkalam near here that her visa to Kuwait to work as a cook had been cleared, she believed that the family’s poverty, her only belonging, would become a thing of the past very soon

When the agent informed P. Valli, 36, of Thenkalam near here that her visa to Kuwait to work as a cook had been cleared, she believed that the family’s poverty, her only belonging, would become a thing of the past very soon.

She dreamt that the salary she would get from her employer in the wealthy West Asian country would alleviate her family’s poverty. However, she did not know that her year-long stay in the Gulf country would be like living in a veritable hell.

Long working hours from early morning to late night, substandard accommodation and food and physical torture by the employer’s family made Ms. Valli’s dreams crash.

 “When the salary was denied and a small sum was given after much delay as salary against the tall promises made by the agent, she was devastated. She could not even contact the family here to share her ordeals. After she managed to reach out to the family, we started making our efforts to bring her back,” says a relative.

On getting information about her trauma, Ms. Valli’s family members submitted a petition to District Collector K.P. Karthikeyan appealing to him to ensure the her early and safe release. “The issue was taken up immediately with the Ministry of External Affairs through the State government. Even as the Indian Embassy in Kuwait was taking steps to bring back Ms. Valli by clearing all hurdles, a few Tamil organisations in Kuwait helped us in the rescue of the woman,” Dr. Karthikeyan said.

When a frail Ms. Valli came to the Collectorate on Monday evening to thank Dr. Karthikeyan for coming to her rescue, he empathised with her.

 “Instructions have been given to the Department of Public Health and the doctors of Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital to give her the best treatment and counselling so that she can resume her normal life here again,” said Dr. Karthikeyan, who has taken steps to give financial assistance to help her earn a livelihood.