The inconvenient true story of female migrant workers from Bangladesh to the Middle East

Migration plays a significant role in the development of Bangladesh. International migration refers to migrating from one country to another, aiming at one's economic situation. Usually, international migration should occur within the legal frameworks of the nations that send and receive the migrants. It is considered one of the sustainable livelihood strategies in the socio-economic context of this country as it is a crucial source of income.

Many unskilled female workers from Bangladesh migrate to the Middle East, searching for employment to support their families through remittance earnings. They primarily work there as housekeepers. 

However, most of them are ignorant and do not know about the legal migration process. As a result, these migrant workers often become victims of human trafficking.

Rehana Begum(pseudonym) recently returned to Bangladesh from the Middle East. Before leaving Bangladesh, she was a housekeeper at my house. One day, she told me she would go to Saudi Arabia for employment. 

The family members of her in-laws' house were ruthless. Rehana decided to migrate to the Middle East to earn money. She went to Saudi Arabia in June 2022 but was forced to return to Bangladesh in February 2023. 

I am writing the inconvenient true story of female migrant labourers who have returned to Bangladesh forcefully. After returning, Rehana shared her experience as follows,  

I went to the Middle East through middlemen as well as a dalal. That is why I did not get my passport in my hand. The broker led me, as well as many migrant workers, to reach Saudi Arabia. I had no training in language or any type of practical life skills. I was dependent on the broker (neighbour). 

My sorrow started when I reached Saudi Arabia. First, we had to stay a few days in the house of a recruiting agency. There, I could not eat anything, and I suffered a lot due to the scorching heat of summer. After a week, my employer took me to their house.

There, I suffered a lot as well. The employers tortured me a lot. I did not get any leisure hours to take a rest. I did not get any weekly holiday. They snatched away my mobile phone, and I could not keep any contact with my family members. The husband of the employer tortured me physically. I did not have any way to survive. One day, I called the broker to change this house. They accused me of theft and did not give me my salary. All of my efforts were in vain. Then, I was forced to return to Bangladesh. I complained against the broker, but now my family members and I are being threatened as she (the broker) is a powerful woman. I requested an NGO agent to help me get my money back from the employer. They did not give any assurance in this regard.

From the above scenario of female migrant workers, it can be said that female migrant workers are dependent on brokers. That is why they do not know about the actual process of migration. On the other hand, female migrant workers get victimised by the false stories of brokers and other informal migration channels. As a result, many female migrant workers are victims of human trafficking due to a lack of information. 

According to the report of Rehana and other migrant workers, they did not get any support from the government or non-governmental agencies during the pre-departure phase of migration. Rehana paid money to the broker and other agents of informal migration. The illegal process of migration mainly increases the cost of migration. She had to suffer a lot to take training, and after one day of training, she was flown away from the training centre. To make a false card from BMET, the broker took money from her. Before going to Saudi Arabia, Rehana did not even know about the work environment. This was mainly the story of harassment of female migrant workers in the pre-departure phase. After reaching the destination country, many of the migrant workers like Rehana faced various tortures. From the story of Rehana, it can be said that the whole process of earning remittance is not easy in the Middle East. Now the question is, was this supposed to happen? Obviously not.

How female migrant workers are becoming victims of modern slavery?

Rehana, as well as many female migrant workers, are victims of modern-day slavery. Modern slavery is a broad concept that covers a variety of practices. Modern-day slavery refers to a scenario of dominance, which an individual cannot reject or flee from because of intimidation and coercion. In the Middle East, many female migrant workers do not have any right to break the rules as they are obliged, and they have to submit their passports to their employers. They do not have any right to go anywhere according to their wish. According to the convention (C189) by ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), "Physical and mental torture of the domestic workers are strictly prohibited and also all member countries should ensure the human rights of the domestic workers" (ILO, 2011). Bangladeshi women suffer a variety of challenges in the Middle East, and they are sometimes the victims of human trafficking, forced labour, physical and mental torture, and other forms of exploitation. All these experiences are related to the term "modern day slavery". In many cases, female labour migrants from Bangladesh do not get proper justice. That means female labour migrants are also victims of harassment in their destination country and home country. 

Recommendation for future policy reform

Female labour migrants from Bangladesh face various inhumane tortures, and it is also a common scenario for them to face harassment at Bangladesh airports. This tradition should be changed by following some recommended steps. In this regard, some recommendations are given below for future policy formulation:

Government to government (G2G) deal

The governments of the destination countries should be accountable for the female labour migrants. The government should emphasise human rights first when dealing with such situations.

Major problems which female migrant workers face in the Middle East can be solved by government-to-government deals. The Bangladesh government should emphasise labour rights and the well-being of female migrant workers.

Accountable and transparent role of Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET)

• BMET should be accountable and transparent. They should take some steps in this regard.
• Corruption in fake training should be eliminated.
• The government should monitor and make sure that no female labour migrants travel abroad unless they have received appropriate training first.
• Technical training centre should update their curriculum. They should provide language proficiency training and teach them about survival strategies abroad.
• Both physical and mental training should be provided.
• Bangladeshi females are expert enough. They can work as nurses, chefs, catering services, and babysitting services, mainly skill-based jobs.

Safe migration: The way beyond

However, female labour migrants from Bangladesh are becoming modern-day slaves in this present context to earn remittance. Though they contribute to our economy, they are deprived of their fundamental labour rights and human rights. The illegal migration process and human trafficking should be banned by imposing proper rules and regulations.  Human Trafficking is the first step of modern slavery for female migrant labourers. The types of intervention by the government are categorised into three tiers in the report State's Annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP). Tier 1 mainly represents higher government intervention to minimise human trafficking; tier 2 represents that the government is trying to take necessary steps to reduce human trafficking; tier 3 belongs to the country with the lowest interference in human trafficking. Bangladesh belongs in the tier 2 position, and the government is trying to take the necessary actions to protect human rights.

Last of all, the government should follow the government-to-government deal. Most importantly, economic development is essential for the sake of the people of the society, so the government should prioritise the well-being of the people as well as of workers. To eradicate modern-day slavery, NGOs also have to work in collaboration with the government. Finally, all of the actors influencing modern slavery have to rethink the question that promoting modern slavery to flourish the economy as well as economic development will not give a sustainable solution in the long run.

Sketch: TBS

Ayesha Ahmed Ridi, Lecturer, Bangladesh University of Professionals 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.