“They won’t let me go.” An Andhra woman's pursuit of a livelihood in Kuwait took a dark turn…
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00:00This woman from Andhra Pradesh alleged that she is being tortured in Kuwait.
00:04She said she is not able to reach out to her family for help.
00:16So she made an appeal to the Transport Minister of Andhra Pradesh, M. Ramprasad Reddy, who
00:21hails from the same district as her.
00:37Here's what happened.
00:38Kavitha from Annamaya district in Andhra Pradesh went to Kuwait in the Middle East hoping to
00:42earn a living and build a better future for her three daughters and her disabled husband.
00:48But after a few years, she said she found herself trapped.
01:01She accused an employer in Kuwait of subjecting her to physical and mental abuse, although
01:06she didn't mention the nature of her job or provide details about her employer in her
01:41Kavitha said the agent who facilitated her travel threatened her and even blocked her
01:47phone calls, leaving her stranded and unable to reach out to her family for support.
01:52She said she couldn't leave until she paid money to be set free.
02:13A similar incident happened in June 2024, when a man named Shiva was allegedly cheated
02:18by an agent and was stranded in Kuwait.
02:21He was rescued after Andhra Pradesh Human Resource Development Minister Narel Okesh
02:25took up the issue with the External Affairs Ministry.
02:28Indian workers are estimated to make up 30% of Kuwait's workforce, with around 9 lakh
02:33Indians working in sectors such as construction, healthcare and domestic work.
02:38In September 2024, this video of Kavitha narrating her ordeal and crying for help went viral
02:44The video soon caught the attention of Reddy.
03:00He then wrote a letter to Union Minister Keshri Devas, seeking his intervention to ensure
03:04Kavitha's safe return to India.
03:06The letter read,
03:07I request your urgent assistance to secure the release of Tripathi Kavitha and facilitate
03:12her release from house arrest and repatriation to India.
03:23Within 48 hours after Kavitha's appeal, the Indian authorities arranged her flight tickets
03:28from Kuwait to Chennai.
03:30The police said the agent who arranged her passport and visa for Kuwait was also summoned.
03:35They added that a special unit was set up by the Annamayya Police to handle cases of
03:40harassment against migrant workers in the Gulf.
03:55Kavitha returned to her home country on 14th September 2024.
03:59She thanked Reddy and the police for taking immediate action.