Documentary on migrant worker Ariyawathie

ACTFORM produced a documentary on Ariyawathie from Hakmana, Matara (in the Southern Province) who was inhumanely tortured while working in Saudi Arabia in 2010 by her employers who hammered nails into various parts of her body. The documentary is in Sinhala with English subtitles. DVDs were distributed to relevant Ministries, migrant worker organizations, trade unions etc. and the video was uploaded to YouTube. It has also been distributed to international networks in Middle Eastern countries as well as all the South Asian countries, Japan, Korea, Italy, etc.

It was presented at the International Day of Migrants and a copy was given to Ariyawathie as well. So far it has received positive feedback for building awareness and has also prompted assistance for Ariyawathie.

Introduction

Majority of Sri Lankan women who work in the Middle East as migrant workers belong to low-income families and are financially instable. They detach themselves from their families and travel abroad for work in hope of realizing dreams and ambitions. 

However most of these women end up going through trials and tribulations such as suffering abuse, experiencing violence and injustice, etc at the hands of their employers. Cases in which they return to Sri Lanka physically or mentally disabled or dead are a regular phenomenon.

Ariyawathie from Hakmana, Matara (in the Southern Province) was inhumanely tortured while working in Saudi Arabia in 2010 by her employers who hammered nails into various parts of her body. WMC produced a documentary on her story which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vql20WHj9jQ

This project was started in 2010. It was completed in 2011 and so far the uploaded youtube video has been viewed 225 times.

The DVD has been distributed nationally and also internationally to countries such as India, Nepal, Philippines, Korea, Hong Kong, USA, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Cambodia, Cyprus.

Follow up

Depending on the feedback we receive for the documentary, in future we hope to produce another film on a bigger scale.