The Embassy of the Republic of Ghana in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has warned Ghanaian youth who are desirous and or planning to travel to the Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to seek for greener pastures to be extremely mindful of the unfavorable working conditions for foreign unskilled workers such as house maids and other laborers.
The Mission in a statement signed by its Acting Head, Marcel Domayele, said the Embassy is overwhelmed by reported cases of human rights abuse unskilled Ghanaian domestic workers go through in the hands of their employees in Saudi Arabia and the other GCC states.
“It is regrettable to note that both Ghanaian agents and their foreign counterparts mislead prospective Ghanaian workers by promising them non-existent juicy offers which turn out to be a hell for most of these workers.”
“The Ghana Embassy is currently overwhelmed with cases of Ghanaian domestic workers (house maids) who have fallen victims of such unfortunate pranks and misrepresentation of these agents. And it is against this background that the Embassy in the strongest possible terms warns the youth of Ghana to desist from making any plans of traveling to the GCC states to work as unskilled workers. We urge the young people of Ghana to seek information from the Embassy about any shoddy contracts even before embarking on their travel to these countries.”
Below is the full statement:
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO GHANAIANS LIVING AND WORKING IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA*
The Embassy of the Republic of Ghana in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wishes to remind all Ghanaians living and working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia illegally, that the 90 Days (Three Months) General Amnesty for illegal residents to leave the Kingdom is still on-going, and will come to an end by June 25, 2017.
Since the beginning of the General Amnesty two months ago, the Ghana Embassy in Riyadh and the Ghana Consulate in Jeddah have processed more than five hundred emergency travel documents (Travelers Certificates) for Ghanaians who have violated their residency and work permits, enabling them to take advantage of the General Amnesty to leave the Kingdom. Both the Embassy and the Consulate are still processing these emergency travel documents for Ghanaians who wish to leave at a highly subsidized cost of SR50 (Saudi Riyals) instead of SR200.
The Ghana Embassy, therefore, wishes to advice all Ghanaians living in the Kingdom illegally to as a matter of urgency visit the Embassy in Riyadh or the Consulate in Jeddah to process their emergency travel documents to enable them leave the Kingdom peacefully. Any Ghanaian illegal resident who fails to take advantage of this General Amnesty program should be ready to face any penalty or consequences thereof as a result of their actions or inactions. Both the Embassy and the Consulate should not be blamed for any unforeseen occurrences after the expiration of the General Amnesty program given that the Mission does not have any more resources to troubleshoot self-inflicted consular problems.
Further, the Ghana Embassy wishes to caution Ghanaian youth living in Ghana, especially the ladies who have made plans or are thinking of traveling to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states for so-called greener pastures to be extremely mindful of the unfavorable working conditions for foreign unskilled workers such as house maids and other laborers. It is regrettable to note that both Ghanaian agents and their foreign counterparts mislead prospective Ghanaian workers by promising them non-existent juicy offers which turn out to be a hell for most of these workers.
The Ghana Embassy is currently overwhelmed with cases of Ghanaian domestic workers (house maids) who have fallen victims of such unfortunate pranks and misrepresentation of these agents. And it is against this background that the Embassy in the strongest possible terms warns the youth of Ghana to desist from making any plans of traveling to the GCC states to work as unskilled workers. We urge the young people of Ghana to seek information from the Embassy about any shoddy contracts even before embarking on their travel to these countries.
The Embassy urges all Ghanaians living illegally in the Kingdom to take advantage of this General Amnesty to leave the country peacefully without paying any fines or facing any penalties. The Embassy further wishes to inform the Ghanaian community that the Mission has made the necessary arrangements to help secure air traveling tickets at a discount for groups of more than 20 people.
Please kindly contact the Embassy on 011-4545126 (for those in Saudi Arabia) or +966114545126 (for those in Ghana), or send an email to info@ghanaembassyksa.com for further details.
—-SIGNED—
MARCEL DOMAYELE
- HEAD OF MISSION
