Hyderabad woman alleges forced labor and abuse in Oman

A 26-year-old woman from Hyderabad has alleged she was subjected to abuse, forced to work up to 15 hours a day without pay, and denied basic necessities after being lured to Oman under false promises of a housekeeping job, prompting an appeal to the Indian government for her rescue and repatriation.

Shabnam Begum, a resident of Pahadi Shareef in Hyderabad, traveled to Muscat on March 26 after a local recruitment agent offered her employment as a housemaid with a monthly salary of 200 Omani riyals, approximately Rs 50,000. In a self-recorded video sent to Hyderabad politician Amjed Ullah Khan of the Majlis Bachao Tehreek, Begum alleged that upon arrival she was taken to an office and then sent to work in multiple households. She said she was made to work 12 to 15 hours a day, denied proper food and accommodation, and received no salary for more than three months. Begum also claimed that her mobile phone was confiscated for a month and a half, leaving her unable to contact her family.

Begum further alleged that she was physically assaulted and beaten when she asked to return to India. She said her passport was taken by the recruitment agents. Unable to endure the alleged abuse,...