Page 32 - A Gender-Sensitive Indian Foreign Policy- Why? and How?

Indian Council
of World Affairs

was confiscated by the employer and Suja could not acquire it before
escaping from the house. She became one of the ‘absconders’ in the official
eyes (Confiscating the passport of the workers has been one of the practices
in many employment contexts, particularly so in the context of domestic
work where the conditions of work are more private in nature). However due
to a demanding labour market for domestic workers in Dubai, Suja managed
to get work in another household. I met Suja at this juncture. (Though
the emiratization process in UAE has impacted various labour markets for
migrants, domestic work is one area which is not affected by emiratization,
thus there is a constant demand for migrant domestic labour). Without
passport and other documents, as an absconder in the official category, Suja
also easily became one of the cheap labourers available in the demanding
labour market.

Around this time in 2007, UAE declared general amnesty which provided
an opportunity for migrants without documents and other travellers who
have overstayed visa period, to return to the country of origin. However,
Suja decided not to use amnesty and decided to stay back and work in
Dubai in order to fulfil her dream to provide a good life for
her daughter, to repay the debt and also to piece together
a shattered life. So Suja remained an undocumented (in
other words absconder) migrant domestic worker.

The story of Suja is not isolated. I have met many
women like Suja during my fieldwork in Dubai
and Sharjah, many of them could be considered as
‘absconders’, ‘runaway domestics’ or ‘illegal
migrants’ in official terminology. Suja is not an
illegal migrant, rather whose life has become
precarious through a system that perpetuates
inequality and discrimination. Can I call Suja
a vulnerable victim of the mobility regime
or is she a survivor who navigated cautiously
and carefully through the rough waters of
migration trajectories?

So why am I interested in the story of many women like Suja? In 2007,
Government of India brought in a legislation which restricts women
below the age of 30 years to travel if they have to go with an ECR passport.
Migrant domestic workers along with many other women workers require
Emigration clearance from the protector of emigrants before they plan
to travel. This age ban essentially restricts women to travel or force them
to bypass the state order. This makes their condition precarious. What is
32 the context of this age ban? This has come under the pretext of protecting

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