Ensure safe migration for female workers

Due to poverty and lack of earning opportunities in the country, countless Bangladeshis migrate abroad every year in search of earnings. In recent years, the number of female workers going abroad has also been rapidly increasing alongside male migrant workers. These female workers mainly travel to the Middle East to work as domestic helpers. However, these migrant women workers are subjected to various forms of physical, mental, and sexual abuse on a regular basis.

In particular, a large portion of the women who went abroad to change their fortunes have returned home with reproductive health issues. But out of shame and fear, they cannot disclose these problems to their families. Even due to fear of social stigma, they are hesitant to seek treatment publicly. As a result, these remittance warriors suffer from mental depression.

In the past three decades, more than 1.1 million female workers from Bangladesh have gone to various countries. According to official statistics, the majority of these women have gone to Saudi Arabia. The remittances sent by these women play a significant role in increasing Bangladesh’s foreign currency reserves. So, why is the government so indifferent about ensuring their safety?

In recent years, thousands of female workers have returned home from there after being abused. These returning women workers have described various types of abuse they endured abroad.

The women who have been victims of sexual abuse lack knowledge about reproductive health. Moreover, due to lack of cleanliness, absence of medical care, and various other reasons, they suffer from reproductive health problems. Additionally, poor women in our country are not aware of reproductive health at all. They are not given any information on this matter before being sent abroad. Furthermore, most foreign employers do not care about the health of domestic workers. For these reasons, they fall into health risks. In that case, reproductive health must be prioritised in agreements with Saudi Arabia or other countries concerned. At the same time, women workers must be made aware of reproductive health before being sent abroad.

It is known that Bangladeshi female workers abroad do not have adequate health insurance. Even where health insurance has been introduced in some cases, the reproductive health issues that female migrants return with are not covered by the insurance. As a result, they cannot receive necessary treatment. Consequently, they become a burden on their families. Many migrant workers even face death. Therefore, insurance should be arranged based on the types of illnesses these workers return with.

Many returning female workers are so traumatised that they do not want to talk to anyone at the airport. Therefore, counselling for these women who have been abused while working abroad is extremely necessary.

Moreover, in the cases where the bodies of female workers are returned to the country, the causes of death must be investigated. Because we have seen that even when heart attacks are cited, there are signs of abuse on their bodies. If a migrant woman who was raped returns with a child, the state must take responsibility for that child. Returning female workers must be rehabilitated and provided with employment. In this regard, the Expatriate Welfare Bank must be made more migrant-friendly.

At the same time, the government must be more cautious about agreements with countries including those in the Middle East where female workers are being sent. Weekly and annual leave for female workers must be guaranteed in these agreements. In addition, emphasis must be placed on ensuring their wages, healthcare, and food. Alongside this, the operations of local and foreign brokers must be brought under legal framework and held accountable to stop their rampant activities. Therefore, to ensure safe migration for Bangladeshi women abroad, especially in the Middle East, it is high time for the government and all stakeholders to take effective measures.