This article, published in 2011, reports on 24 Sri Lankan former domestic workers, many of whom were allegedly abused by their employers, that were stranded in Amman from January to April 2011, unable to pay government-imposed fines and threatened with eviction. The article says that Human Rights Watch called for these Sri Lankans to be allowed to return home, a right that they have by law but that they have been unjustifiably denied. These workers had fled their workplaces because of not receiving their salaries, not being allowed to leave, being beaten, and being overworked. Jordan has a system of fining people for overstaying their residency, and it fined these 24 Sri Lankans even though they were not responsible for falling out of documented residency status (which was the responsibility of their employers). Instead of allowing a foreign worker to leave Jordan while it pursued the negligent employers, the ministry prevented the workers from leaving.