Politico Staff
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has in a press release announced the introduction of a recruitment license for overseas employment agencies. According to the statement, this is to ensure that the recruitment agencies have legalized status whiles performing their functions.
The release which was issued on the 21st September 2021 indicated that in order for recruitment agencies to carry out their recruitment in and out of the country, they should ensure they have licensed their agencies.
It therefore called on all agencies that want to operate a Private Employment Agency (PEA) to make it a duty to apply for the said license through the office of the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
It added that interested agencies should submit their applications along with business license, NASSIT clearance certificate, valid insurance policy, NRA clearance, a recruitment cooperation agreement, CV, or resume of the head of applying agency and a copy of the passport of the head of applying agency.
While admonishing potential Private Employment Agencies to adhere to the notice; they further encourage the public to operate with agencies that are licensed with the ministry only.
The Ministry has also informed the public through the same press release that it has “Developed a regulatory mechanism, code of conduct, and training manual for overseas recruitment to ensure safe, orderly, and regular labor migration.”
The public mostly young people have welcomed the idea of licensing overseas recruitment agencies as many a time young Sierra Leoneans have been trafficked on the pretext of facilitating their employments overseas but for the intervention of the government and the Internal Organisation for Migrations many would have left stranded in foreign countries at the mercy of the masters.
Khadija Bangura narrates her experience with Politico on how she got stranded in Kuwait where her passport and other travelling documents were seized from her once she got there.
“We had made all necessary payment here to facilitate our travels and employment but when we got there, all the beautiful promises and stories changed into a nightmare. Thank God I was brought back home before something bad happened to me,” she said.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online (24/09/21)
