Indian TV ads warn people of job swindlers

The Indian Government has come up with television advertisements warning people of illegal recruiting agents who might lure them with the promise of jobs in the Gulf and other countries.

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs’ (MOIA) advertisements in English and regional Indian languages caution people, especially rural Indians, on the dangers of going to the Gulf, including the UAE, and other countries through such unscrupulous agents.

Vayalar Ravi, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister, told Khaleej Times over the phone, “This is a new awareness campaign on different counts, where we are encouraging people to migrate through legal channels, instead of approaching illegal agents. We are telling Indians, particularly those in the villages, not to be cheated by illegal agents or touts who want to exploit them. This is a focused campaign as we want to protect our people rather than pushing them further into debts.”

Over the last one month, several advertisements have been rolled out in Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Punjabi to create awareness among Indians aspiring to work abroad. The 30-second ads, apart from cautioning potential labourers, also warn women employees on how they might be duped.

They show vulnerable, enthusiastic individuals willing to shell out large sums of money to unscrupulous agents for a job in these countries. Similarly, some ads highlight the situation of women and children, whose families are promised good money while they are taken abroad for illegal jobs.

Ravi added that the advertisements targeted job-seekers and people who want to get their daughters married to NRIs in Western countries. According to MOIA statistics, 642,000 Indians went abroad last year on proper employment visas, mostly to the Gulf countries and Malaysia.

The recent amnesty in the UAE saw nearly 100,000 illegals going back to India, says the Indian Embassy in the UAE.

Indian Ambassador to the UAE Talmiz Ahmad told Khaleej Times that these advertisements “touched on simpler and larger issues that would jolt people out of their complacency”.

“These ads imply that people must go to registered recruiting agents, that they must not make large payments to anyone, they should ensure that they are being employed by credible employers and importantly that women employees have proper documentation,” he said.