By Hsu Latt Phyu - May 05, 2025
I, Daw Yee Nwe Htun, who resides in Khin Lu Village, Meiktila Township, holding ID No. 13/TKNA(N)193449, had been living both in Meiktila Township and Yangon, and was sent abroad by the agency under the name Nan Kywat Hlaing (Shwe Bon Nan). I got connected with the agency in Meiktila Township and ended up going to Oman. No contract was signed in Myanmar with the agent.
I was sent to Oman under a three-month deduction system. I had to go to Hpa-an as the passport had to be made urgently for travel to Oman. My old passport had expired for 10 years, so they said it wasn’t acceptable and sent me to Hpa-an for a new one. In Hpa-an, the broker made the passport by adding me into a household not related to my family but from Myawaddy. After returning and staying about 5 days, I was told the passport was blacklisted and the agent said 500,000 MMK had to be paid to the police chief at the passport office.
The agent only made one passport under the three-month deduction system. I went to Yangon and paid 500,000 MMK to the agent when they said more money had to be invested for a 20% interest system. The police office rthe agent mentioned only submitted the old passport. After getting the passport, I flew on July 19, 2024 from Yangon to Bangkok, and arrived in Oman on July 20, 2024. On the night of July 21, 2024, the employer who I would be working for came to pick me up. I was told beforehand that only 10 people were in the employer's household. The Oman agent said a 4-month deduction would apply if I changed houses.
When I arrived at the employer’s house, there were both a senior wife and a junior wife. The senior wife had 10 children, and the junior wife had 9 children. Since the senior wife’s children were married, they would return home during holidays. I had to cook, clean, do laundry, iron, feed goats, harvest pomegranates—everything in that house. I was trained in cooking for one week, then from the next day, I had to do everything alone. The house compound was around 50 acres large. Around 60 people came and stayed in that house for about 5 days per week. Sometimes their household helpers came, and sometimes didn’t.
Salary was 120 OMR. Because the household chores were forced and overwhelming, I developed kidney stones, cardiovascular narrowing, and joint pain. I endured it with medication since they said changing houses meant a 4-month deduction. Sometimes the employer sent me to work at their children’s houses too. I tolerated and continued working since I didn’t want to change houses. However, on the exact day I reached 6 months and 15 days at the employer’s house, only the eldest was married, 8 children were at home from the junior wife who had 9 children. The eldest son’s wife was attending college, so I had to babysit her child from Saturday to Thursday evening. I had to do that from Thursday night to Saturday noon, I had to return to the house and work. They had me follow and care for her child in another city.
I lived in Jalan and the college was in Nizwa city—3 hours drive by car. I tend to get car sick and vomit. I was told I only needed to babysit during school hours and that she would take care of her child after returning, so I was added in. I had to stay with a 3-month-old baby in a small rented room while the mother went to school. I usually had a cup of milk and one snack for breakfast and looked after the baby. I got lunch at 7:30 PM. I couldn’t nap in the afternoon or sleep at night, had to wake whenever the baby cried. No dinner either. The baby’s mother often scolded me out of dissatisfaction.
I wasn’t allowed to leave the small room. My legs began to ache and feel stiff. When I completed 3 weeks and entered the 4th week, I couldn’t stand it and told the employer I couldn’t take care of the baby anymore. They asked why. I said I only had milk and snack in the morning, no lunch, had to care for the baby all day, no rest, had to eat lunch only at night, no freedom time, couldn't leave the small room, my legs hurt, and I could barely walk. Because the baby’s mother was always angry, I said I wouldn't continue. The employer didn’t accept and sent me back within a week.
When employer’s daughter-in-law know, they scolded and cursed me both in the car and at the dorm. I just endured and continued working for their child and them without saying anything. On Wednesday, they recorded video near the baby’s bed disguising as charging the phone. I thought it was only charging. When the baby was asleep, I bathed. Since I was doing their laundry and the baby cried, I quickly came out and had to change clothes in front of the bed. They now have VCs of me changing clothes. When I bathed the baby, it cried loudly. I tried calming the baby in many ways. As I couldn’t stand being hungry and sleep-deprived, and had a headache I lightly slapped the baby’s butt with my palm—not with the intent to hurt. I also did the traditional Burmese palm buzzing sound near the baby’s mouth.
They reported to the employer that I treated their baby like that. Only then did I realize they had secretly recorded me. I told the Burmese agent about it. When I asked whether a police report would been filed against me, the agent said I have to apologize. I did.
On Saturday at 2:30 PM, the employer told me to pack as I would be returned to the office. I packed my clothes and only the essentials I brought from Myanmar. The junior wife asked for my phone, told me to unlock it, and deleted the Oman SIM bought with my ID, my Myanmar Ooredoo SIM, and erased all phone contacts, accounts, photos, files.
They set the phone so it could only be unlocked with the Oman SIM. Then the junior wife’s family came into my room, physically abuse me, surrounded and shouted at me, and said they would hand me to the police. I didn’t fight back, just apologized. One of the senior wife’s sons said he worked at the ID office. He said he wouldn’t report me to the police but would send me back to the office, and took me to his house in Muscat. I had to work at his house for 3 days. He said the office wasn’t open yet. But the office is only closed on Fridays and Saturday afternoon, and reopens on Saturday evening. They took me to the office at night only after 3 days. At the office, there were Burmese interpreters but no one to support my side. I was told to open a new account and contact my family and agent.
The employer said they paid 1200 OMR to the agent to bring me from Myanmar. I had worked for 6 months as per contract and returned after 7 months and 15 days. The agent didn’t ask for the remaining 15 days’ wages although I complaint her. The agent said I could return to Myanmar if I paid 120 lakhs MMK. I didn’t have that much money, so I stayed at the Oman office for 2 weeks and found another house. I went to the new house on 23.3.2025. They said it was a three-story house with 6 people and no children. But there were 14 people including children and adults when I got there.
I had to wake up at 5 AM, had no rest in the afternoon, and worked until 1 AM. I wasn’t fed for three days. No rest time. Could hardly use bathroom or shower. The next day, at 3:30 PM, I was given just a bit of rice for lunch. I was so exhausted I couldn’t urinate properly, had blood in my urine, and full-body inflammation. I asked the agent to contact the employer and say I wanted to return. After working for 17 days at the new house, I returned to the office. I haven’t been paid for that labor yet—the agent kept that wage. As I was unwell, my mother negotiated with the Burmese agent. The agent said I could only return to Myanmar if I paid 120 lakhs MMK. My mother offered 4,000,000 MMK after mortgaging the land and house, but it was refused. She tried 3 times and it didn’t work. The agent said I would be reported to Oman police and arrested if the 120 lakh MMK wasn’t paid.
I asked to go back Myanmar due to my poor health condition, but they said I was faking. I didn’t even have medicine left, so I drank Burmese traditional tea and sugar water. The injuries from the first employer’s beating still require ointment. Now, I have blood in urine, body inflammation, and heart problems. I can’t work and have to stay in the Oman office dorm. My parents also can’t come up with 120 lakhs MMK at this moment and as I’m in a difficult situation, I respectfully request for assistance.
Ma Yee Nwe Htun
