SAUDI Arabia has deported another 132 Bangladeshi workers, including five women, on Tuesday night. In the first week of the new year, 767 workers, including 40 women, were sent back home. Nearly 1,200 female migrant workers returned from Saudi Arabia last year after suffering horrendous torture at the hands of their employers. Despite call for action from all quarters, the government drastically failed to stop sending our migrant workers from KSA. Nearly 60,000 male migrant workers were deported from the Middle Easter countries and Malaysia during the aforesaid period – most of them returned empty-handed. Until November last year, Bangladesh received 3,838 bodies of its migrant workers, highest in 15 years. BAIRA Secretary General said that almost 60,000 male migrant workers were sent back in 2019 and of them nearly 30,000 came back from Saudi Arabia alone.
It was alleged that Saudi police deported many Bangladeshi workers even though they had their permit in order. Torturing female migrants and their forceful deportation have become common in the Middle East counties. We don’t find any reason why the government is failing to reach a deal with Saudi government to ensure safety and security of the migrants. We several time urged not allow female migrates to go ME countries unless their safety and security is ensured. However, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister on Sunday said the government plans to send more than 750,000 workers abroad this year. It is still not sure whether any comprehensive strategy has been taken before sending the new migrant workers with ensuring their safety and security.
Unfortunately thousands of migrant workers have compelled to return home. The same fate might be faced by more migrants. That means the situation is very unwell. But the government is still not paying importance to the issue believing that present remittance flow would continue for an uncertain period. This type of fool’s strategy could bring disaster in the country’s central reserve soon.
