- Note :The above image is AI generated and none published are real-life characters.
A recent COPE Committee meeting held on February 27, chaired by Member of Parliament Nishantha Samaraweera, exposed serious irregularities within the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), including the illegal migration of minors, financial mismanagement, and questionable recruitment practices.
It was revealed that between May 2023 and June 2024, 683 minors were sent abroad for domestic work, raising serious concerns about child labor and human rights violations.
Additionally, the SLBFE lost Rs. 631,177,650 in training income due to its failure to provide mandatory residential training to 28,165 first-time migrant domestic workers, which is a requirement for overseas employment.
The committee also uncovered financial irregularities related to event expenses. The rental of 30 stalls in Galle was recorded at Rs. 170,000 each, while one stall in Jaffna was rented for Rs. 100,000. In another case, a single stall was rented for an inflated price of Rs. 500,000. Investigations also revealed that the bureau had purchased 25 cottages at a total cost of Rs. 12.5 million, raising further concerns about misuse of funds.
Another alarming revelation was that the SLBFE had granted approval for recruitment agencies to send domestic workers abroad using tourist visas instead of formal employment contracts. A circular issued on March 30, 2023 (07/2023) allowed workers to migrate to the UAE and Oman without proper documentation, jeopardizing their safety and legal status.
Data presented at the committee meeting indicated that 4,942 workers left Sri Lanka on tourist visas, but many of them secured employment withaout being recorded in the Sri Lankan embassy’s database, raising serious concerns about exploitation and human trafficking risks.
Meanwhile, the bureau has spent Rs. 1.2 billion on the ‘Jayagamu Sri Lanka’ program, with officials defending the expenditure by stating that all payments were made in compliance with procedures.
These findings have sparked concerns over accountability, mismanagement, and potential human rights violations within the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, calling for urgent reforms to protect migrant workers and prevent financial misappropriation.
