FE Report
Rights campaigners at a consultation called upon the government to stop sending women as housemaids to the Middle East (ME), especially Saudi Arabia, as life is insecure for them there.
As the female domestic helps are kept confined to their employers' houses in the countries, it is almost impossible to know whether they are in good or bad condition there, they warned.
Other than housemaids, the government should send skilled women ensuring that they can get proper security and wage benefits.
Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Units (RMMRU), ILO and BOESL jointly organised the national consultation in the city on Wednesday with different stakeholders
for sharing the field recommendations on gender, human rights, migration and reducing trafficking and forced labour.
Maran Kumar Chakraborty, managing director of Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) was the chief guest while officials, rights activists, returnee workers, among others, were present.
Shariful Hasan, programme head of migration, BRAC, said Bangladesh should stop sending domestic helps to the ME, especially Saudi Arabia, to avoid workplace exploitation.
The Bangladesh government should also think whether they will send women as workers to such countries or not, he added.
Many women are coming back home being severely tortured physically and sexually, he noted.
Sometimes women lose families and social acceptance as they are considered as bad women, Mr Hasan said.
"Apart from domestic helps, skilled women can be sent in different categories like garments, ensuring their protection and benefits," he added.
Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said if it is not possible to ensure security for the female domestic helps, the authorities should stop sending them to the ME.
When the government even cannot ensure rights of the local domestic workers it is more difficult to ensure protection of the outbound domestic workers, he commented.
Though the mobility of Bangladeshi outbound female workers increases in recent years, the pain is still very high, said Dipta Rakshit, senior programme manager of Survivor Services, Winrock.
It is not only necessary to confirm sending workers and inflow of remittance but to ensure their protection is also a vital issue, she said.
Syed Saiful Haque, chairman of WARBE Development Foundation, said women domestic workers are kept confined to employers' houses.
For this reason, they are more vulnerable to abuse.
He suggested introducing dormitory system where workers can stay together.
Mr Haque also said there is a little implementation of the official rate of migration cost for women workers.
Asif Munier, independent migration analyst, said women workers face social stigma after returning home.
It is necessary to celebrate their contribution so that they do not lag behind in their society, he said.
Salim Mollah, general manager of BOESL, said if any women worker is tortured in foreign country; it is shame for whole country.
"We don't want to see our sisters to be exploited abroad. So we want to send them in skilled category like apparel workers," he added.
Marina Sultana, director programme of RMMRU, moderated the consultation.
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