In the face of the ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka, the number of people leaving the country is increasing. Everyone knows that. Especially now, young people are keen to leave Sri Lanka and go abroad. These days there are long queues at the Passport Office, the Consular Office and the Foreign Service Bureau.
In the 80s and 90s, many people went abroad for jobs in the Middle East. But now the situation has changed. Many are now looking for jobs in European countries.
Many people in Sri Lanka think that people who go to work in the Middle East are more likely to be subjected to various forms of harassment and torture. There are reports of women being sent to Sri Lanka after being subjected to various forms of torture and disability in Arab countries. So many people prefers to go to European countries.
As a result, many foreign employment agencies have sprung up. After Colombo, Kurunegala is the second most famous city for foreign employment agencies. A number of agencies have now sprung up for jobs in South Korea, Japan and Israel. But through all these employment agencies, it is necessary to find out whether the foreign workers are getting proper employment, proper salary and proper care through this agencies.
According to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, there was a money laundering racket going on by promising to provide employment under the recruitment program implemented by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment for jobs in South Korea, Japan and Israel. The Bureau has stated that such a money laundering is being carried out by a fraudulent group.
According to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, recruitment and training for jobs in South Korea is carried out only by the Bureau under a formal system. According to the agreement reached between the two countries, employment in Japan will be done only by the State Recruitment Bureau and several licensed employment agencies.
The recruitment of Israeli jobs will be done by the Bureau in accordance with the agreement reached between the two countries, In addition, recruitment to Israel jobs is done through several licensed employment agencies. It further states that only expenses and bureau registration fees approved by the authorities in the relevant countries will be charged.