By Drake Nyamugabwa
Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) has released a list of 69 stranded young Ugandan girls that went to the Middle East to secure informal jobs without the guidance of registered recruitment agencies who are under Ministry of Gender and Labour.
The statement issued by on Friday, Uganda Association of Recruitment Agencies (UAERA) says that the agency extends support to those who bring cases through licensed recruitment agencies, but however have discovered that the stranded girls are now staying at the Uganda Guest House within the Embassy of Uganda in Abu Dhabi. Adding that the unemployment levels in the country have left Ugandan’s with the option of externalized labour.
“At the moment, they’re residing at the Uganda Guest House within the Embassy of Uganda in Abu Dhabi. Considering that the unemployment levels in the country are so high, Ugandans have had the option of externalizing labor and try to make ends meet abroad but the ministry maintains that it should be done within the right procedures,” the statement reads
It adds, “We at Uganda Association of Recruitment Agencies (UAERA) only help those that bring cases to our attention that under those that went through licensed recruitment agencies. We have established the following FACTS so far; that those said girls stuck at the Ugandan Embassy in Abu Dhabi NEVER traveled through a licensed Recruitment company, non of these girls went through a licensed company, as indicated, they all travelled on VISIT VISAS and all of them are categorized as adventures. The youth who venture on their own to find jobs abroad the statement further reads
The Ministry of Gender and Labour calls upon all Ugandans with intentions to work abroad to use the legal, and secure channels to go abroad which is through licenced companies supervised by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Pius Bigirimana recently said that the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development developed a digital system to host all processes involved in labour exportation aimed at curbing and controlling instances of human trafficking in the external employment services.
He added that the External Employment Management Information System (EEMIS) has been designed to manage the entire application workflow ranging from submission of an application to go and work abroad to approval.
