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Cde Paradza

Abigail Mawonde Herald Correspondent
Government has set up a fund to assist in the repatriation of Zimbabwean women being subjected to slavery conditions in Kuwait.

This comes as 15 more women, two of them believed to be under 16, were repatriated from the Gulf nation.

The women were welcomed at the Harare International Airport by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs chairperson Cde Kindness Paradza and various Government officials yesterday evening.

Cde Paradza said Government funded the return of the women through the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ministry.

“Government paid for their air tickets through the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and we are grateful that at least the Government has now set up a fund for this purpose,” he said. He said there were also indications that the stranded women were not only in Kuwait, but that others could be stuck in Saudi Arabia.

“The women were literally crying that they are finally free.

“However, they told us that some of their friends were missing since some of them went as a group. They believe they are still out there in Kuwait and other Arab countries like Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Cde Paradza said he was saddened by the ages of some of the women amongst the group who seemed to be under the age of 16.

The well-being of the women is yet to be ascertained. They will be taken for medical check-ups, debriefing and counselling before they return to their homes.

“We are monitoring the situation and we want to make sure that all of them are brought home because that is our mandate as the Foreign Affairs ministry (Parliamentary portfolio).

“It is a continuous process and so from now on, the responsibility lies with Government to ensure the women come home,” he said.

Cde Paradza said the women who had returned home would assist police in identifying the culprits or the agents who hired them to go to Kuwait.