Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
Migration experts on Wednesday expressed concern over the rising reports of sexual harassment, abuse and torture on female workers in the Middle Eastern (ME) countries.
They also called upon the government not to send female workers in the ME countries without protecting their rights, ensuring safety and security and fixing proper salaries.
“Maids from Bangladesh are being reportedly treated like slaves by their employers. This has led to high incident of physical and sexual abuses making Bangladeshi workers vulnerable in their workplaces,” Tasneem Siddiqui, a migration expert, told The New Nation on Wednesday.
According to her, the rising incident of abuses has forced Philippines and Indonesia to impose ban on sending their female workers to the ME countries and Sri Lanka, India, Nepal are also mulling for similar action.
“These countries have already strongly protested such abuses and increased protection to their domestic workers. But Bangladesh has failed to protect rights of its workers and continue to allow female migration further making their lives vulnerable,” she added.
About 1.03 lakh female workers went overseas for jobs in 2015. Of them, 40,000 left for Saudi Arabia, 12,000 for Jordan and 8,000 for Oman, according to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).
Tasneem Siddiqui, who is a Professor of Political Science at the Dhaka University, said an increasing number of female workers from Bangladesh were leaving for Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries after Philippines and Indonesia stopped sending their female workers to these countries.
“We are receiving many complaints of sexual harassment from families of housemaids who got jobs in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Many of them endured abuses from beginning of their employment. In some cases, female migrant workers did not receive salary for months forcing them to return home without money or help from the recruiting agencies,” she added.
Tasneem Siddiqui stated that all these are disconcerting features of female migration and the government must take proper steps to stop their sufferings in abroad. “The government should open shelter homes at Bangladesh Missions to provide protection to the distressed female workers. They should also provide legal assistance at the shelter homes,” she added.
Tasneem Siddiqui also urged the government not to send female workers prior ensuring their protection and rights.
“The government agencies are working on the issue, but this is not enough.” she said, adding that ensuring safe migration is not only the job of the sending countries. The receiving countries have also the similar responsibility in this regard.
“Our female workers are subjected to face physical and sexual abuse at their workplaces in ME countries. Sometimes, these abuses concluded with permanent injuries, depression and even death. Those cases have already exposed by local and international media,” Hassan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron, another migration expert, told The New Nation on Wednesday.
He said they were receiving complaints from many female workers of the country that over work, sexual abuse, physical torture, unfamiliar foods and low or no wage in Middle Eastern countries.
“The picture is not rosy for female migration, the government should give a second thought on the issue,” said Kiron who is also the Chairman of Debate for Democracy.
When asked, he said, ensuring safe female migration is largely depend on the government, the recruiting agencies can do a little in this regard.
Kiron also urged the government to strengthen labour attachés abroad to protect female migrants from the sufferings.
