Outflow of female migrant workers rises by 35pc

The outflow of female migrant workers marked a 35 per cent rise in the calendar year 2014 following a growing demand for domestic helps in the labour receiving countries, mainly in the Middle East, said officials.
Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) data showed that some 76,007 female workers got overseas jobs in 2014 while the figure was 56,400 in 2013.
An increase in female migration contributed to the rise in the overall labour migration in 2014, said a report of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU).
Of the total overseas jobs, female migration was around 18.00 per cent in 2014 while it was 13.78 per cent in 2013.  
Women rights activists and sector insiders said Bangladeshi female workers were being encouraged to be financially solvent through international migration. Low migration cost had been a major factor in increasing female migration, they added.
A total of 23,214 female migrant workers went to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2014, followed by 20,134 in Jordan, 11,990 in Lebanon, 11,584 in Oman and 6,452 in Qatar.
Apart from the Middle East countries, female workers started migrating to Singapore, Hong Kong and Mauritius last year.
Sumaiya Islam, director of Bangladeshi Ovibashi Mohila Sramik Association (BOMSA), said Bangladeshi female workers were being inspired to get overseas jobs to improve their standard of living.  
"It is a good trend for women employment, but at the same time, the government should ensure their security," she said.
Ms Islam also demanded that female workers be given salary regularly as most of the incidents of tortures happen while they (workers) want their wages.
According to BOMSA, about 70 per cent of the female migrant workers fall victim to torture by employers for demanding payment of wages at the end of the month.
It said female migrant workers face severe problems particularly in Jordan, Lebanon, Dubai, and Oman.
Rights activists have stressed the need for improving the skills of the women migrants so that they can earn more wages and remain secure in the foreign countries.
Secretary of the ministry of expatriates' welfare and overseas employment Khandakar Iftekhar Haidar also emphasized the importance of ensuring security for the female migrants in foreign countries.
"Apart from the existing foreign missions, we have recently opened 11 more labour wings to help provide the workers with better service," Mr Haidar said.
A total of 352,269 women got jobs mainly at housekeeping sector in between 1991 and 2014, according to BMET data.
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