The Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA) yesterday urged the government to call off the Family Background Report (FBR) which is an administrative necessity before housemaids are permitted to be employed abroad.
Addressing the media yesterday at Hotel Renuka, Colombo, ALFEA Chairman A.L.M. Hazam alleged that the FBR has become a racket which damages the reputation of the country.
He proposed the government introduce an appropriate practical procedure for this purpose, instead. The FBR was introduced in 2013 to prevent the migration of mothers with children less than five years of age, as housemaids abroad.
“Although the purpose of introducing the FBR is good, it has created lots of problems in the foreign employment sector of the country,” he said.
Currently, foreign remittances to Sri Lanka have declined to US$ 6.5 billion from US$ 8 billion, Hazam said.
He alleged that some officers are currently engaged in issuing fake FBRs at high cost. A development officer of the Northern Province has been suspended for issuing more than 1,000 fake FBRs, he said.
A proposal to call off the FBR has already been submitted to the Cabinet.
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