Tougher regulations to curb illegal employment agencies delayed

By Aisha Edris
Tougher regulations proposed by the Foreign Employment Bureau (FEB) Act to clamp down on operations of illegal foreign employment agencies, are still in the pipeline as the amendments from the legal draftsman’s department have yet to arrive at the FEB.

According to Foreign Employment Bureau, Chairman, Kingsley Ranawaka, the Bureau had presented the new proposals to the legal draftsman’s department two months ago. However, the Bureau has not received the amended Act from the Legal Draftsman’s Department. According to Ranawaka, the Act is being amended for the purpose of putting an end a to the illegal foreign employment agencies island wide.

“We have sent our proposals to the Department. Till we get the amendments we cannot give an exact date when the Act will be presented to the Parliament, as the Bureau has to make further observations,” he said.

The present Act was passed in 1985 and according to the present Act was not a satisfactory deterrent to errant foreign employment agencies.

Ranawaka noted that with the new amendments, the Bureau would have more power to curtail illegal migrations through foreign employment agencies.