Most of the Bangladeshi women working abroad are still being deprived of their due rights in their respective workplaces, despite their growing contribution to the country's remittance earnings.
Migrants' rights activists said a large number of Bangladeshi female migrant workers are returning home each year because of being exploited by their employers.
Returnee victim workers alleged that they do not get any cooperation from the Bangladesh foreign mission offices when they face different kinds of harassment. And there is no proper rehabilitation facilities including trauma centres for the victim women migrants at home.
According to a study by Bangladesh Ovibashi Mohila Sramik Association (BOMSA) about 77 per cent of Bangladeshi female migrants were tortured by their employers in Lebanon, the largest market for Bangladeshi female workers.
Migrants' rights activities said the scenario of the other job markets for Bangladeshi female workers is the same as that of Lebanon.
The study said the workers were being victimised physically, mentally and sexually. They also did not get monthly salary in due time.
The research titled 'Case Study Analysis on Abuses in Lebanon' said some 41 Bangladeshi returnee female migrants out of 53 were tortured by their employers in Lebanon.
Of them 15 were being abused physically, 14 mentally, four sexually and eight verbally. Other 12 women said they were not having any torture.
The women migrants are returning home regularly being ill-treated from other countries including Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan etc.
According to the United Nations Convention on 'The Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families,' if any country sends 10,000 workers to a market, it has to open embassy in the country of job destination to protect workers' interests.
Although Bangladesh ratified the convention in 2011, it is yet to open embassy in some of its largest markets including Lebanon.
Shilpi Begum (28), from Nawabganj upazila of Dhaka, went to Lebanon in January of 2008 to make her dream of overcoming poverty and living a better life for children true.
But after some days her dream had been shattered entirely and she fell into deep grief. She had been beaten regularly by her employer's male family members as she refused their indecent proposals.
But she did not get relief from sufferings. She faced different types of struggles and harassments of being homeless and jobless.
Ms Shilpi spent Tk 60,000 as migration cost to go to the job destination.
She said hundreds of Bangladeshi women in Lebanon are suffering from the same problem. They cannot return home due to absence of proper channel and money.
Julekha (35) who went to United Arab Emirates (UAE) in August of 2013 said her employer always beat her and did not give food properly.
To get relief from such exploitation she went to her Bangladeshi recruiting agent but she became tortured further in many ways.
At last she managed money from her family members and returned home.
Project Coordinator of BOMSA Sumaiya Islam said until now no victim female migrant worker got proper support from home and abroad.
Ms Islam said she received about 100 complaints on an average each month from the female workers abroad about the physical torture, sexual abuse at workplaces, denial of wages and food.
Executive Director of Shikha Shastha Unnayan Karzakram (SHISUK), a non-governmental organization, Sakiul Millat Morshed said the government gives priority to the number of migration and remittance. It doesn't emphasise migrants' interests.
He, however, said there is a large potentiality in sending skilled workers. And presently the lower educated women are also interested to go abroad for better life.
Executive Director of International Migrants Alliance (IMA) Research Foundation Anisur Rahman said the victim women don't get support from Bangladesh embassies in labour receiving countries. Even many times the officials of embassies concerned serve the interest of the employers.
