Shah Alam Nur :
The number of Bangladeshi female migrant workers has marked 19 percent increase in 2015 despite barriers.
According to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), 17,012 female workers had gone to different countries in 2015.
The BMET data shows that the UAE was the largest single destination of the Bangladeshi female workers. More than 27 per cent of the total female migrant workers had flown to that country.
According to the officials at the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, two basic reasons played important part in convincing BD female workers. Firstly, the demand for female workers in the UAE was higher than that of other countries. The second reason was the attractive salary. It was higher than in any other country.
“This will obviously enhance women’s economic security, mobility and decision-making capacity,” Mohammed Abul Bashar, President of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) told The New Nation on Tuesday.
According to the statistics of Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), 95 percent of more than 2.5 lakh female migrants are working mainly in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman and Bahrain as domestic helps. Their monthly salaries are between $ 150 and $ 200.
These countries, except Jordan, do not, however, recognise maids in their national labour law.
This means they are not guaranteed rights, such as weekly day off, working hour limit and compensation.
The female workers at garment factories in Jordan or at fish processing factories in Mauritius come under the labour law, but they represent a very small percentage.
Recently Hong Kong has started recruiting female workers after imparting two months training in Bangladesh.
Their monthly wage is $ 500, which is much better than that in the Gulf countries. Tasneem Siddiqui, Chairperson of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit of Dhaka University said, Bangladesh does not have strong service system to help its domestic workers abroad.
She said, the authorities concerned are now encouraging female migration, but the training facilities and the welfare services in the destination countries are still weak.
Those going to the Gulf should also be provided with similar training. The present 21-day training for the Gulf-bound domestic workers was not sufficient at all, said Siddiqui.
The number of Bangladeshi female migrant workers has marked 19 percent increase in 2015 despite barriers.
According to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), 17,012 female workers had gone to different countries in 2015.
The BMET data shows that the UAE was the largest single destination of the Bangladeshi female workers. More than 27 per cent of the total female migrant workers had flown to that country.
According to the officials at the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, two basic reasons played important part in convincing BD female workers. Firstly, the demand for female workers in the UAE was higher than that of other countries. The second reason was the attractive salary. It was higher than in any other country.
“This will obviously enhance women’s economic security, mobility and decision-making capacity,” Mohammed Abul Bashar, President of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) told The New Nation on Tuesday.
According to the statistics of Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), 95 percent of more than 2.5 lakh female migrants are working mainly in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman and Bahrain as domestic helps. Their monthly salaries are between $ 150 and $ 200.
These countries, except Jordan, do not, however, recognise maids in their national labour law.
This means they are not guaranteed rights, such as weekly day off, working hour limit and compensation.
The female workers at garment factories in Jordan or at fish processing factories in Mauritius come under the labour law, but they represent a very small percentage.
Recently Hong Kong has started recruiting female workers after imparting two months training in Bangladesh.
Their monthly wage is $ 500, which is much better than that in the Gulf countries. Tasneem Siddiqui, Chairperson of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit of Dhaka University said, Bangladesh does not have strong service system to help its domestic workers abroad.
She said, the authorities concerned are now encouraging female migration, but the training facilities and the welfare services in the destination countries are still weak.
Those going to the Gulf should also be provided with similar training. The present 21-day training for the Gulf-bound domestic workers was not sufficient at all, said Siddiqui.
