President Maithripala Sirisena said he was against sending Sri Lankan women to the Middle East as housemaids. 

Speaking at an International Women's Day event, Sirisena said the rich and the powerful of society are enjoying their benefits owing to the remittances from migrant workers majority of whom are women. 

"Even though the migrant domestic workers are the main source earning foreign exchange for the country, the life stories of mothers, sisters and daughters who are engaged in this field are tragic," Sirisena said.

Although Sirisena said he was against sending women to the Middle East as housemaids, he fell short of presenting a viable alternative.

According to the statistics of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau, over 500000 Sri Lankan women are currently in the Middle Eastern region working as housemaids.