Sovereign Right to send out more women as domestic helpers

"The government rejected improvements to its legal system suggested by the EU as condition for extension of GSP+. The government boldly said, the sovereignty of the country is more important than the job losses that may result."
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EDITORIAL

[July 22, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian] When the government gets into more and more debt, it needs foreign exchange to service debts. As the most important foreign exchange earner for Sri Lanka is the domestic helpers working abroad the government need more domestic helpers to go abroad for earning the foreign exchange. Thus, the debt based economy and the encouragement for local women to become domestic helpers are linked.

In several countries the South East Asia the strategy for development was to create conditions for foreign investment. However, in countries where this policy did not succeed like Philippines sending local women as domestic helpers was adopted as the alternative policy. It is this path that Sri Lanka is following.

Recently Minister G.L. Peiris said that in Ratanapura district gem industry is going down and women there also may have to go for employment abroad. The attempt is to encourage even women from deep rural areas to seek employment abroad, as more such employment is necessary to service foreign debt.

Meanwhile, the government rejected improvements to its legal system suggested by the EU as condition for extension of GSP+. The government boldly said, the sovereignty of the country is more important than the job losses that may result . The costs of sovereignty is for more Sri Lankan women to become domestic helpers in foreign lands.