Ensure reintegration of women migrant

workers’
Speakers at roundtable urge govt
Thu Apr 1, 2021 12:00 AM

Speakers at a roundtable yesterday urged the government to establish effective and well-founded
reintegration programmes for women migrant workers, providing necessary facilities such as
financial guidance and psychological support.

Stressing the need for trained staff for the programmes, they said during the reintegration stage,
government agencies have to closely follow up on women migrants to protect them from social
isolation, violence, and disempowerment.

Care Bangladesh with support from migrant rights group Warbe Development Foundation and
The Daily Star organised the roundtable at The Daily Star Centre in the capital.

Speakers said the government can initiate multiple orientation sessions throughout all three
migration stages, from pre-departure to return, to guide female migrants.

They said government need to hire more trained staff to provide specific help to migrants in all
their services.

Bangladesh missions abroad should include reproductive healthcare services and protection for
victims of violence. Besides, the government should establish offices that can serve as help desks
or resource centres at the airport in destination country, they said.

It should be made mandatory for the missions to regularly check up on woman migrant workers,
they added.

For female domestic workers, missions should have services where consultants can go visit
them. There should be alternative methods so that workers are not required to visit in-person to
be able to access services, said the speakers.

They said many NGOs and CSOs want to offer support to migrants. Governments can
collaborate with them to further strengthen services.

Presenting a research paper, Care Bangladesh Programme Manager Mostafa Sorower said
countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia need to ensure better regional cooperation to monitor
and facilitate overall migration process for their woman workers.

They need to continue pushing destination countries to provide protection to female migrant
workers, especially to domestic workers, he said.
Besides, sending countries should develop better reintegration programmes for returning woman
migrants, closely follow up on the workers, and prevent them from becoming disempowered
after return, he added.

Syed Saiful Haque, chairman of Warbe Development Foundation, said Bangladesh government
banned sending female migrant workers abroad thrice in the past.

Whenever such ban was imposed, human trafficking increased, he said.

It is not expected that the government will stop sending woman migrant workers abroad but it is
expected that the government ensures their safety, he added.

Captain (retd) Ikram Hossain, country coordinator of International Centre for Migration Policy
Development, Bangladesh, said ensuring international accreditation of skills certificate of female
migrants will increase their bargaining capacity.

There is plenty of scope to work on this area, he said.

Addressing as chief guest, Gloria Jharna Sarker, member of Parliamentarians' Caucus on

Migration and Development, urged female migrant workers to build their own capacity including
developing knowledge on migration process.

Woman migrant workers need to develop their language skills before going abroad, said Gloria,
also a reserved seat lawmaker.

Women migrants who returned from Saudi Arabia and Jordan shared their perilous experiences
as well as successes at the roundtable.

https://www.thedailystar.net/city/news/ensure-reintegration-women-migrant-workers-2070037
Migration is a big phenomenon in Bangladesh and returning migrants are a potential big asset for
the country. However, despite improvements in the current legislation of Bangladesh concerning
migrant workers with the Overseas Employment and Migrant Workers Act 2013 and the
establishment of a decentralized online worker registration system in 2013, gaps remain in the
legislation and implementation of national policies.

A number of major acts and policies, including the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act
2013, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Policy 2016, the Wage Earners Welfare
Fund Rules 2002 have all defined the need for addressing the concerns of returnee migrant
workers, but they do not offer any detailed guidelines about a re-integration strategy nor the type
of services needed. Moreover, there is a lack of considerations for female migrant workers and
support for the National Women Development Policy (2011) in the Overseas Employment
Policy.

At present time, the country does not have an institution assigned to deal with reintegration of
returnee migrant workers.  Furthermore, a rather large number of migrant workers, are not
settling down in Bangladesh, but instead almost 40% are re-migrating, as they are disillusioned
by the lack of available reintegration services in Bangladesh. It indicates a connection between
the number of persons re-migrating and lack of employment with a wage to live from combined
with scarce reintegration services and facilities.

While re-migration is a big phenomenon for a great number of returnee female migrant workers,
there are already a number of initiatives addressing safe migration and re-migration. Thus, this
intervention focuses on reintegration and ensures the best conditions for those female migrant
workers, who want to settle down in Bangladesh. It has a specific focus on three pilot areas in
Bangladesh: Faridpur, Jashore and Chattogram, and is implemented by the Danish Trade Union
Development Agency (DTDA) and Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS).

The project addresses the objective on both local and national levels. It seeks to address the lack
of services for returnee female migrant workers, the lack of knowledge and information about
financial management and investment possibilities, the lack of jobs and social stigma, which all
hinder successful reintegration at local level. Moreover,

he risk of social stigma and discrimination is addressed through alliance of social actors/stakeholders
(trade unions and NGOs) which are advocating for the interests of returnee female migrant workers.  At
the national level there is a need for improved legal framework and policies to ensure better conditions
for returnee female migrant workers. This is addressed through capacitating BILS and the trade unions
to lobby and advocate for amendments on gender specific reintegration related issues.

https://www.budapestprocess.org/silkroutesfacility/projects-in-the-silk-routes-countries/184-social-
reintegration-of-the-returnee-female-migrant-workers-in-bangladesh
Women migrants from Bangladesh need skills, returnees need support

Md Owasim Uddin Bhuyan | Published: 00:31, Mar 06,2020 | Updated: 21:50, Mar 06,2020

Imparting proper education and skill training to the country’s women migrant workers before sending
them abroad can ensure safe migration and better remittance, according to migration experts.

Sending educated and skilled women workers abroad may not translate into panacea for all
problems but it would certainly improve the situation exceedingly.

Especially, it will lend our workforce the strength needed in the backdrop of the hundreds of the
women migrants returning home from the Middle Eastern countries after falling victims to abuse,
tortures and exploitation, they said.

On return, the women migrants are frequently facing serious problems of social integration as
family members of some returnees decline to receive the female migrants.

Proper training on language, trade, rules and regulations as well as on working atmosphere could
protect the women migrants from getting abused in the destination countries and enable them to
contribute to the national economy

Bangladesh Nari Sramik Kendra executive director Sumaiya Islam told New Age that education
level of women migrants should be upgraded and their training should be made to match the
international standard in quality to ensure safe migration.

She also said that women workers must have access to modern technologies and support system
to turn them into skilled workers.

Sumiya, also migrant rights activist, said that steps should be taken to enhance dignity of women
workers at home and abroad.

According to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, women migrants from

Bangladesh, who are dominantly employed as domestic workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
and other Middle Eastern countries, frequently fall victim at the hands of their employers.

As the largest destination, the KSA recruited over 3.45 lakh women migrants out of total nine
lakh women migrated overseas since 1991, BMET data show.

The vulnerability to exploitations, physical and sexual abuses has now become the core issue that
remains unaddressed while experts worry that Bangladesh should look elsewhere for better
employment opportunities.

Activists and officials admitted that women migrants, who were sexually abused by their
employers in Saudi Arabia were frequently abandoned by their families after returning home.
The women migrant worker returned home from Saudi Arabia facing abuses and exploitations
and they were all refused by families. One of them was pregnant and gave birth to a girl on
return last year.

According to BRAC migration programme, at least 315 women migrant were sent back home
from Saudi Arabia in January and February of this year and over 1,500 women migrants returned
in 2019.

A recent study revealed that a vast majority of returnee migrant workers, including women
workers,  fail to utilise their skills for earning livelihood in the country due to lack of proper
support mechanisms to use their work experience.

The study on ‘Economic Reintegration of Bangladeshi Returnee Migrant Workers: Prospects and
Challenges’, conducted by Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Programme, said that migrant workers were
yet to get better jobs based on their past experience as the government has not yet taken effective
measures for skill certification of returnee workers.

The OKUP study conducted on 250 returnee migrant workers in five upazilas of the country’s
five districts during the period between November and December in 2019, showed that about 90
per cent of the workers who came back home could not use their skills for income generating
activities.

About 46 per cent of respondents said they could return home with skills, but the rest said they
could not acquire skills.

About 42 per cent of respondents said they were unemployed while 22 per cent were engaged in
small businesses such as grocery shops and poultry farms, 4 per cent remained engaged with
jobs.

The remaining 32 per cent returned to their old professions such as labourers in the construction
and agriculture sectors.

The findings of the study showed that 23 per cent of the returnee migrants could earn enough
money, but 77 per cent could not.

Nearly 35 per cent of the respondents said they have savings or small business. Some 29 per cent
said they spent money on building or repairing houses while 7 per cent used money for marriage
and rest 29 per cent for different purposes like migration of family members, marriage of siblings
and children, it said.

OKUP chairman Shakirul Islam told New Age that Bangladeshi women migrants employed as
domestic workers abroad could earn little due to lack of their skills.

Those domestic workers were frequently returning home as victims of abuse and many of them
were being refused by their husbands, he said.
He further added that the returnee women migrants need government supports for reintegration
to ensure sustainable impact of the overseas employment on the country’s overall economy.

Shakirul Islam said that a special body should be setup to provide all necessary cooperation to
returnee migrant workers in using their skills and remittances. It will also help ensure economic
development of the workers as well as the country.

According to migration experts, women migrants who were returning home could build
themselves as entrepreneurs in the food industry if they were entitled to get reintegration loans
and necessary support.

At least seven women migrants who were sexually abused by their employers in Saudi Arabia,
and were later abandoned by families after returning home, have finally turned their lives around
and could go beyond their misfortunes.

They got united and started catering services in Dhaka and in three months they became self-
reliant ushering in hope for other returnees, said officials.

Zabeda Begum, Mosammat Banu, Asma Akter, Shahnaj begum, Masuda Akter, Runa Laila and
Dalia Akter returned home in 2019 from Saudi Arabia facing abuses and exploitations there. As
the female migrants were sexually abused by their employers, their husbands and the families
refused to receive them.

Shariful Hasan, head of BRAC migration programme told New Age that on return, these
migrants were provided constant counselling for survival and reintegration.

‘At one stage they informed that they would do better in catering services, he said.

One of them was good in management and after consulting her, BRAC provided each of the
victims with Tk 65,000 as grant and making Tk 3.90 lakh as capital for the six women to start a
joint business called ‘Dhrubatara Catering Service,’ he added. Another one joined the six later,
he said.

In October, 2019, the women rented a house in Dakkin Khan of the capital where they prepared
foods and supplied those to different offices and markets in Banani, Khilkhet, Uttara and airport
areas.

Dalia Akter, who works as manager of Dhrubatara Catering Services, said that she used to take
order and ensure supplies to the customers.

She told New Age that she had returned home on August 26, 2019 after sustaining tortures of the
employer. She jumped off the second floor of the employer’s home to escape abuse but her legs
were broken, she said.

On return, her husband refused to receive her, said Dalia who had to return within 14 months of
her migration.
Dalia, 22, said that she joined the team of the returnees and began a new life with them.

She said that in December they had a net profit of Tk 45,000 after deducting all costs and shared
the amount among themselves.

Dalia said that they supply about 150 lunch packets and 100 dinners daily among customers in
Banani, Khilkhet, Uttara and airport areas. The price of each meals range between Tk 100 and
Tk 120, she informed.

Dalia dreams of expanding their business in the coming days and giving message to other
returnees to change their fortunes by following in their footsteps.

A significant number of Bangladeshi women migrants have returned home facing abuse, tortures
and other forms of exploitation particularly in the KSA and the trend of returnees who have been
abused and exploited still continue, according to the government officials.

Migration experts suggested ensuring ‘regular and well-managed female labour migration
without putting any restrictions on their mobility.’

They suggested that the Bangladesh government should explore alternative opportunities for
women migrant workers in the East Asian countries including Japan, Korea, Hong Kong,
Singapore and Taiwan, which are comparatively safer destinations.

On February 25-26, a group of parliamentarians from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka took part
in a dialogue in Dhaka jointly organised by the Parliamentarians Caucus on Migration and
Development of the Jatiya Sangsad, WARBE Development Foundation and Migrant Forum in
Asia.

They called for the ratification of the International Labour Organisation’s Convention on
Domestic Workers to protect the rights of the domestic workers at home and abroad.

The migration caucus chairman Israfil Alam MP, who read out the statement, said that the
convention, which is the 189th ILO convention that set the minimum standard of decent
domestic work, must be ratified to end abuse, exploitation and violence against the workers.

‘Domestic workers are neither servants nor second-class workers and they are also entitled to
decent work like other workers, he said.

The ILO estimates that 164 million people are migrant workers and 98 per cent among them are
men and 68 million are women.

The migrant domestic workers represent 7.7 per cent of global migrant workers and around 8.5
million or 73.4 per cent of all migrant domestic workers are women worldwide.

In Asia, domestic workers work is a significant sector of employment with estimate of 21 million
in Asia and another 2 million in the Middle East.
In Bangladesh, 1.3 million are in household work and among them 80 per cent are female and
most of them are children and young in age.

Asia hosts the biggest number of domestic workers but only one country in the region had
ratified the ILO convention.

According to a government report revealed in 2019, about 35 per cent of returned female
migrants have faced abuse in many forms, including slave-like working conditions.

Investigating the 111 cases of returning female workers in August, the government found that 35
percent of them were victims of sexual and physical abuse while 43 per cent received irregular
wages.

The report identified 11 fundamental reasons why Bangladeshi migrant women fled their
workplaces, including physical and sexual abuse, inadequate food, work without leave, and
irregular salaries.

The report was submitted to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Expatriates Welfare and
Overseas Employment ministry on September 26 last year.

According to the Human Rights Watch Report 2019, domestic workers, predominantly women,
faced a range of abuses including overwork, forced confinement, non-payment of wages, food
deprivation, and psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, while the authorities have failed to
hold their employers accountable for such crimes.

Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment ministry has undertaken various steps to reduce
vulnerabilities of the women migrants.

The EWOE ministry officials told New Age that they were taking up the issues of women
migrants to the joint working group meetings held between two countries.

They said that the Bangladesh government considers the overseas migration as an integral
component of the county’s development aspiration.

EWOE minister Imran Ahmad told New Age that Bangladesh considered overseas migration as
driving force of development.

For this reason, the government has strongly emphasises the promotion of the migration of the
skilled workers to benefit the migrant workers, he said

https://www.newagebd.net/article/101414/women-migrants-from-bangladesh-need-skills-
returnees-need-support

https://www.newagebd.net/print/article/101411
Returning migrants are a huge asset to our country
We don’t even know how many migrants are returning to Bangladesh each year. There is a
need to examine the challenges migrants face when trying to reintegrate themselves into
the local economy and their community.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Bangladesh, through a series of
consultation on the reintegration of migrants in Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Khulna attempted to
understand the grassroots realities and develop feasible recommendations to address the
challenges.

Challenges
Income generation and financial literacy: Most migrants do not plan their post return phase
of migration cycle but instead return under unplanned, emergency circumstances.
After returning, migrants often face difficulties in finding employment despite having
enhanced skills and experiences. There is no mechanism to help them locate opportunities,
assess and certify the skills they acquired abroad.
Most migrants are not aware of the avenues and options for savings, investments, and
productive use of remittances. The majority of their remittances are used up for
consumption, while they are still abroad.
Investment decisions are also frequently limited to land purchase, which drives up the cost
of land in migration prone districts, without many productivity gains from that land.
Health and well-being: Many migrants suffer from diseases, occupational injuries, and
health problems while working abroad. They often work in hazardous settings and live in
poor housing conditions.
Limited access to health care deepens their vulnerabilities abroad and at home, as migrants
can be returned due to health conditions and the correct treatment is not always available in
their home districts.
Retuning migrants can also be in need of counselling, especially if they faced exploitation,
difficult working and living conditions, torture, or sexual abuse. Additionally, migrants
working in countries experiencing conflict or crisis are further traumatized. In many such
cases, they are forced to return home earlier than planned and without compensation,
which undermines the success of their migration cycle.
Gender: Female migration is a rising phenomenon in the country. The majority of female
migrants are employed in domestic work in Gulf countries. Incidences of physical, mental,
and sexual abuse are not uncommon.
Female returnee migrants need psycho-social counselling and legal support to address the
trauma and injustice. Social stigma is often attached to female returnee migrants, who then
face criticism from family and society.
Social norms that uphold patriarchal notions that limit female mobility should be addressed
through media and outreach campaigns.
Access to services: Returnee migrants have nowhere to turn for support when they return.
There is no grievance redress system for them. Mechanisms to deal with complaints of
returnee migrants are limited.
Returnee migrants are not registered or tracked, making it further challenging to provide
them with support services on arrival. Since there is no database, information about their
location, occupation, and skills is not available. There is need for a coordinated, integrated,
and comprehensive approach to sustainable reintegration of returnee migrants.

Recommendations
Policy: Well-defined policy framework for sustainable reintegration of returnee migrants
should be established. It takes the whole of the community to ensure sustainable
reintegration and therefore the civil society also needs to play a role.
The Ministry of Expatriate Welfare should establish a returnee migrant’s database and
create linkages or referral services for social and economic reintegration both, with the
public and the private sector.
Services: Returnee migrants require a range of services — psychological counselling to
address the traumas, legal aid services for victims of trafficking and fraudulent recruitment
practices, social safety net coverage, health care services, and business linkages for
employment and entrepreneurship.
One stop service centres should be established with a universal hotline to cater to returnee
migrants’ social, psychological, and economic reintegration needs. Special arrangements at
airports would be helpful to facilitate various procedures and reduce customs, immigration,
and luggage related complications.
Easing access to finances for returnee migrants who are interested in establishing business
ventures might stimulate income generating opportunities. Labour attaches and embassies
abroad should stay in touch with migrants to monitor their work and living conditions and
protect them when needed.
Training and recognition: The government ought to provide financial literacy training to
promote efficient and productive use of remittances. Creating an enabling environment to
nurture returnee migrant’s skills and recognizing skills learned through the Recognition of
Prior Learning (RPL) certification would be helpful. RPL acknowledges skills obtained
through informal, on-the-job learning.
Inter-governmental negotiation: The Global Compact on Migration provides a platform for
states to engage in discussion and negotiation about key issues surrounding migration. This
provides a unique opportunity for the government to address issues which are beyond
control of country of origins.
The government should introduce preventive measures and increased awareness
campaigns to tackle xenophobia and inhumane forms of behaviour to migrants.
Strengthening legal frameworks to protect the rights of migrant at the destination country,
including right to health care and other social services as well as protections afforded to
domestic workers is necessary.
Ethical and fair employment agreements and stronger monitoring of recruitment practices
can promote better practices.
Migrants contribute to the nation’s economic growth and their household security. As such,
they should be treated with respect, their rights ensured.
Their reintegration should be facilitated in the most meaningful way, as returning migrants
are a huge asset to their communities and to our country.

https://bangladesh.iom.int/news/coming-home-reintegration-returnee-migrants
 Being one of the top five migrant-sending countries in the world, migration is a big phenomenon in
Bangladesh. Official figures show that from 1991 to April 2019, a total of 842,985 Bangladeshi
females travelled abroad in search of employment, among which 36.58% workers migrated to Saudi
Arabia . From 2018 to April 2019, a total number of 146,985 female workers migrated to different
countries from Bangladesh. However, this figure does not reflect the overall number of
undocumented female migrants working in South Asia and the Middle East, which is believed to be
much higher.
A positive outcome arising from migration is that these migrant workers come back with skills and
experience, which they can utilize on the domestic employment market. Moreover, they have sent
home remittances to their family and hence, and some has been able to save up money. The
remittance sent by the migrant is most important for our country as remittance is one of main pillar
of Bangladesh economy.
A negative outcome arising from migration are all the cases of especially female migrant workers,
who have been harassed, deprived of their rights, assaulted and raped, which have been the same
for years and which are still ongoing. The female migrant workers are also target for negative social
attitude and social stigmatization. While male migration is linked to appreciation and pride for both
family and community, the societal reaction towards female migration is just the opposite.
Most of the returnee female migrant find themselves in place of low status within their community.
In many cases, the female migrants are neglected by the society, even by their family and neighbor.
The society shows negative attitude towards the returnee female migrant workers and even
towards the family members of the returnee female migrant workers. The returnee female migrant
workers and their family members are generally
‘Lack of actual data can be barrier to
reintegration of returnee migrants’
‘It will be helpful for returnee migrants if we can loan them money for small business ventures,’
says lawmaker Tanvir Shakil Joy

The authorities concerned should develop a reintegration program for returning migrant workers,
as they often face difficulties in finding employment commensurate with their experience after
coming back to Bangladesh, speakers at a conference have said.

They also recommended formulating a real-time database as the official numbers and the actual
numbers of migrants were not the same.

The speakers made the remarks at the two-day-long virtual conference on “Reintegration of
Returning Migrants Affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic”, arranged by the Refugee and
Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), on Tuesday.

“We need an actual database of returnee migrants,” said Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud,
chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and
Overseas Employment.

“Our embassies and missions should be in a position to collect the data available and must look
into other ways as the official number of migrants and the actual number are not the same,” he
added.

Saying that the reintegration of women returnees was difficult as they returned to their villages
and their work experience was not compatible with their society, the lawmaker suggested that
they could be re-educated or re-skilled in the areas of teaching, handicrafts, etc. “It is easier to
train them in work that can be done at home.”

In his comments, Tanvir Shakil Joy, member of the Parliamentarians’ Caucus on Migration and
Development, said: “Returnee migrants have a tendency to spend their savings on purchasing
luxurious items instead of making an investment. We need formal institutions to help
them preserve their earnings and ensure a better future for them.”

“It is difficult for them to get a job here after returning. So if we can provide them with loans for
small businesses, it will be more helpful for them,” the ruling party lawmaker added.

CR Abrar, RMMRU executive director and professor at Dhaka University, presided over the
concluding session of the conference.
neglected in social events like marriage event, birthday party, festival events, cultural activities,
social gathering etc. Specially in developing new relationship between families by marriage, female
migration considered very much negatively in regard to the status of the family. Most of the
community people and families are not comfortable to develop a marriage relationship with the
boys/girls of female migrant workers.
Overall social perception on female migrant workers is very much negative, the society thinks that
the female migrant workers were alone in a foreign country and exposed to outside influence, they
were engaged in unethical activities like prostitution or they were physically/sexually harassed in
the destination country. So, the female migrant workers placed in lower status in the
society/community.
The remittance sent by the migrant workers is the main pillar of our economy and national
development. In this regard the female migrant workers are contributing in our economy and
national development. In most of the cases, the females migrate to the overseas countries with a
view to support their family. A female migrates leaving behind her family which is a great sacrifice.
The migration period of female migrant workers is not full with recreations, rather they have to face
many difficulties/sufferings. Keeping in view contribution/sacrifice/sufferings of the female migrant
workers, they deserve respect from society instead of social stigma.
Some female migrant workers become victims of physical/mental/sexual harassment in the
destination country, where the females are not responsible for the harassments. In case of
harassment, the society should stand beside be victim female migrants and support them in their
reintegration process. But the practical situation is just opposite, the society shows negative
attitude towards the returnee female migrant workers. After returning in the country the female
migrants face different types of social stigma.

In these circumstances, it is very important to create awareness among the community/society, so

that the society can respect the female migrant workers instead of showing negative attitude. In this
connection, a short-drama (campaign video) could be useful in changing the negative social attitude.
So BILS is going to develop a short-drama (campaign video) on changing the negative attitude of the
society towards the female migrants.
3,000 female migrants to get Tk 20,000 each
as grant
age Earners' Welfare Board has recently launched are integration project of Tk 60 million for
3,000 returnee female migrant workers to support them in their income-generating activities.

Each of the workers will get Tk 20,000 to start their livelihood plans. This money will be
distributed among the women as a grant, officials said.

Because of the Covid-19 fallout, about 50,000 women returned home until December 2020.

Besides, a significant number of women workers returned home earlier being cheated or tortured
by recruiters and employers.

According to the welfare desk at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and rights activists, at
least 10,000 female workers returned home from different countries of the Middle East following
exploitation between 2016 and 2019.

Zahid Anwar, deputy director and focal point of information at Wage Earners' Welfare Board,
said they had a plan to distribute the money by June this year.

They have already selected 950 women workers; of them, 70 women have been provided with
the fund, he said, adding that they were working to enlist the remaining beneficiaries.

Mr Anwar said they also had a plan to start the second phase of the reintegration programme
after completing the ongoing phase.

The wage earners' board maintains a welfare fund for expatriate Bangladeshi workers. The fund
has been created with the contributions of migrant workers. Workers pay Tk 3,500 as a welfare
fee while getting immigration clearance.

The board also provided a fund of Tk 20 billion to the Probashi Kallyan Bank to run
reintegration loans to returnee migrant workers last year.

The board operates different schemes including financial grant to the families of dead migrant
workers and ailing workers. It also is running a stipend programme for meritorious children of
migrant workers.

Migrant rights activist and Chairperson of the Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Programme (OKUP)
Shakirul Islam said it

was a good initiative that would help woman workers reintegrate into society.
Shakirul, however, underscored the need for adopting a sustainable programme for these women.

In this case, he opined, the returnee women should be brought under the government's social
safety net programme.

The allocation as the reintegration fund also should be increased so that the workers can start
their ventures, he added.

The Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training data showed more than 0.9 million
Bangladeshi women went abroad with jobs since 1991. Most of them are in the Middle East.

Arafat Ara, https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/3000-female-migrants-to-get-tk-20000-each-as-

grant-1618025181
Overworked, unpaid and abused,
Bangladeshi women return from Middle East
Md Owasim Uddin Bhuyan
Dhaka

Thousands of Bangladeshi women migrants, most of whom were employed in Middle Eastern
countries as domestic workers, have been hit hard by the impact of COVID-19. Many of them
have lost their jobs and were forced to return home without wages. Several of them have also
been abused during the pandemic.

Over 17,000 women migrants have already returned to Bangladesh amid the pandemic and many
of them complain of forced return, deportation and non-payment of their monthly wages for
several months. Many women migrant workers say that they had to work for more than 20 hours
daily as the number of residents in the employers’ places increased during the pandemic. Rather
than being paid for the additional hours of work, many were not even paid the salaries that were
agreed upon in the contracts.

The returnees said that they endured physical and mental torture, faced shortage of food and
were often sexually abused by the employers or the family members.

At least 17,182 women migrant workers have come back to Bangladesh between 1 April and 3
October, according to the Wage Earners Welfare Board (WEWB) under the Expatriates’ Welfare
and Overseas Employment Ministry, Bangladesh.

Of them, 6,025 have come back home from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 3,269 from the United
Arab Emirates, 1,887 from Lebanon, 1,789 from Jordan, 1,362 from Qatar and 1,241 from
Oman.

COVID-19 has severely impacted millions of migrant workers in destination countries, many of
whom have experienced job loss or non-payment of wages, been forced by employers to take
unpaid leave or accept reduced wages, been confined in poor living conditions, and with little or
no work options left, according to global migration experts.

Firoza Begum, 37, a migrant from Munshiganj in Bangladesh, was sent back to Bangladesh
jobless from the KSA in July. Her ‘out-pass’ was issued by Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh.

Firoza claimed that her employer did not pay her for the last five months. The unpaid dues
amount to Saudi Riyal 5,000 (USD 1,300).

“Although I did the household work and met every demand of theirs, they did not pay my
wages,” she said. Instead, she said that she was often scoffed and tortured by the three daughters
of the employer.
She had migrated to the KSA in July 2019 paying BDT 30,000 (USD 350 ). When she arrived at
Riyadh airport, a Saudi recruitment office staff received her and sent her to the employer’s home
where she worked for only two months. The working conditions were not what she had expected.

She was sent back to the recruiter’s office who found her work at a new employer’s home. Firoza
worked there for six months and everything seemed well even though she was paid only for the
first month. Torture started as soon as she started asking for her wages. Finally, she ran away
from her employer’s home without her passport.

Firoza Begum was immediately detained by the Saudi police and put in jail for. Then COVID-19
started and Bangladesh embassy was able to issue ‘out passes’ for stranded workers.

Another woman migrant worker, Hashi, 28, returned to Bangladesh from the KSA empty-handed
on the night of Eid-ul-Adha, one of the important religious festivals for the Muslim community,
on 31 July this year.

She did not want to return in the midst of the pandemic. “Although I requested my employer to
let me work, they sent me back home forcefully,” she said in an interview.

Hashi had worked for two years and three months in KSA for a monthly wage of SAR 800 (USD
200). “In the last month (July 2020) I was not paid my due wage of USD 200 by my employer,”
she claimed.

She sought the assistance of Bangladesh government to help her get her last month’s unpaid
wage.

“I had worked for many additional hours but was never given any additional money. Every day I
had to work for 20 to 22 hours. There was not even enough time for me to sleep,” said Hashi,
who hails from Barisal, the Southern district in Bangladesh.

Migrant worker Parul Akhter, 32, returned from Lebanon in August after losing her job. Her
wages for the last eight months remain with the employer.

In an interview, she said that currently there is scarcity of jobs in Lebanon due to many other
reasons including the spread of Corona virus.

She had suffered a lot, she said. Not only did she have to work for her employer, she also had to
work in the homes of their relatives. “Finally after all that, I was not paid by them,” she said.

Parul, from Narsingdi district, migrated to Lebanon eight years ago paying BDT 45,000
(UD$530). Her monthly wage, when it was paid, was US$ 150.

“Over the last two years, I have not been paid regular wages. Since January of this year the
employer asked me to work at his relative’s home. I got no wage during these eight months.
Sometimes there was no food to eat,” she said.
Parul worked under a single Kafeel as she was not allowed to change her sponsor. She claims
that her total unpaid wages would come to US$ 4,000.

“Whenever I asked for wages, I would be tortured physically,” she said, adding that her
repatriation was facilitated by Bangladesh embassy in Beirut.

When asked for official comment about the situation of women migrant workers, Expatriates
Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry’s secretary Dr Ahmed Munirus Saleheen said that
the government has taken some steps to help all migrants, including women workers, who were
coming back home during the pandemic.

He said that the government has already allocated BDT 700 crore (USD 82.35 million) for
supporting the returnee migrant workers. “The rehabilitation loans launched by the government,
would be equally applicable for male and female returnee migrants.”

Asked about wage theft, Dr Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, the top official of the ministry, said that
they would soon start communicating with the employers through Bangladesh missions at
destinations to discuss and realize the unpaid wages of the migrants.

Wage theft — non-payment for overtime, denying workers their last pay check after he or
she leaves a job, not paying for all of the hours worked, not paying minimum wages — is a
trend that often goes unreported.

Since 1991, one million women migrants, 98 per cent of them domestic workers, have left
Bangladesh for overseas destinations, according to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and
Training (BMET).

The remaining 2 per cent women migrants were mostly employed in the apparel factories abroad,
BMET officials said. Bangladeshi garment workers have also been affected by COVID-19 as
many of them returned home jobless amid pandemic.

Bangladeshi workers have gone to work abroad following international rules and regulations. So
they cannot be arbitrarily deported or deprived of their due wages. They should be duly
compensated if their jobs are terminated arbitrarily.
Dr Abrar, executive director, RMMRU

About 1000 garment workers of Bangladesh were recently sent back home from Jordan.

On June 30, Taposi Khatun, a 22-year-old Bangladeshi apparel worker, returned from Jordan by
special flight.

She was employed in Sydney Apparel factory in Jordan as an operator. Without extending
renewal of work permit, the management sent her back home.

“Amid corona pandemic, the management terminated my job along with many other workers,”
said Taposi who comes from Sonatola of Bogra district.
She said that she was very upset about losing her job at this time as her monthly earning of BDT
30,000 (USD 350) stopped totally.

Migration researchers and migrants’ rights activists said that they have frequently found the
cases of wage-theft committed by the employers, forcing the women domestic and apparel
workers from destinations amid the COVID pandemic.

They said that women migrants mostly employed as the domestic workers were worst victims of
the wage theft, as they were traditionally kept out of the labour laws in the Middle East.

The experts suggest documenting complaints of migrants to advocate for realising unpaid dues of
migrant workers as many of them have been repatriated arbitrarily.

When approached, migration specialist Dr CR Abrar, who taught International Relations in

Dhaka University, said that migrant workers were facing a crisis amid the COVID pandemic
situation.

As many migrant workers are coming back home, it is incumbent on the government to examine
if they are returning voluntarily or are being forced to leave destination countries in violation of
their contracts, he said.

He suggested that no repatriation should be facilitated by Bangladesh unless all the lawful claims
such as wage, end-service benefit and other entitlements are cleared before repatriation.

“Bangladeshi workers have gone to work abroad following international rules and regulations.
So they cannot be arbitrarily deported or deprived of their due wages. They should be duly
compensated if their jobs are terminated arbitrarily.” said Dr Abrar, also executive director of
Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU)

According to a RMMRU study conducted on the basis of interviewing 50 male migrants who
returned from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Malaysia because of the pandemic.

Those who returned from Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar alleged that they had unpaid dues
ranging from BDT 9,500 (USD 112) to BDT 5 lakh (USD 5,890), according to finding of the
study.

Some 39 out of the 50 respondents said they were picked up by police during the pandemic and
later repatriated.

EWOE ministry officials observed that it would be difficult for the government to realise the
unpaid dues of the migrant workers who were employed in the informal sector.

As many Bangladeshi workers have gone abroad with "so called free visa" for their jobs
overseas, realising the compensation for such workers would be very hard for government.
The COVID-19 pandemic which began in Wuhan, China, has now spread all over the world. In
the Middle East, the first case was confirmed in UAE on 29 January. On 26 March, Saudi
authorities announced a total lockdown of Riyadh, Makkah and Madinah and a nation-wide
curfew. As cases started showing up, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait also implemented curfews and
restriction from 26 March.

About 80 per cent of the total 12 million Bangladeshi male and female migrants workers are
employed in Middle East and North African countries, said Bangladesh officials. As all flights
are suspended since March due to the corona pandemic, around 300,000 prospective migrants
have been stranded in Bangladesh. Among them at least 30,000 are women as per the estimate of
recruitment agencies. They are passing their days in frustration as their employment plans have
been disrupted.

Bangladeshi Ovibashi Mohila Sromik Association (BOMSA) said that they are receiving over 30
phone calls every day from the female migrant workers in Bangladesh and abroad and providing
counseling services to them via phone. Among the callers are regular and irregular (forcefully
sent back) returnees, potential migrants and their families all of whom have been economically
impacted by COVID-19.

Family members said the employer tortured her physically and sexually since she joined work.
The family contacted the recruiting agency, but the agency did not take any steps to bring
Kulsum back.

Analyzing 400-450 call records from March to September, BOMSA said some female workers
were stuck in their employer’s houses in Saudi Arabia. In some cases, their employers did not
provide enough food to the workers let alone their due salaries.

Some of the migrant worker’s family members have said that the migrant workers have not
received any salary and can’t pay back their loans or support their family.

Farida Yeasmin, BOMSA Director of Programmes, said that they have received many
complaints from the women migrants at destinations, including non-payment of wages, abuse
and physical torture.

“We will soon raise the issues of wages-theft and other problems of the female migrants with
officials of the concerned ministries and the recruiting agencies in Bangladesh,” said Farida
Yeasmin who is also a senior lawyer at Bangladesh Supreme Court.

Tortured to Death

Kulsum, a 14-year-old girl from Brahmanbaria, died in King Faisal Hospital of Saudi Arabia on
9 August after she had been tortured by her employer.

The body of Kulsum arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 11 September. She was
buried at Nurpur village of Nasirnagar upazila in Brahmanbaria on the following day.
Kulsum had gone to Saudi Arabia through a local middleman Razzak Mia after spending Tk
30,000. MH Trade International was the agency that had arranged the documentation for Kulsum
17 months ago.

Family members said the employer tortured her physically and sexually since she joined work.
The family contacted the recruiting agency, but the agency did not take any steps to bring
Kulsum back.

The family also alleged that the employer and his son broke Kulsum’s knee, back and leg four
month ago, and after a few days ago left her on the street after damaging one of her eyes. Later,
Saudi police rescued her and admitted her to King Faisal Hospital.

On 17 August, Kulsum’s father Shahidul Islam applied to the Bureau of Manpower,

Employment and Training (BMET) for her dead body and eight months wages.

In their statement, Bangladesh Civil Society for Migration (BCSM), a platform of 19

organizations, raised many questions on untimely death of migrants. They demanded justice for
Kulsum through proper investigation.

According to a study released by IOM in August, 70 per cent of returnee migrants to Bangladesh
struggle to find employment. A total of 29 per cent of respondents of the study indicated that
they had returned to Bangladesh because they were asked to leave the country they were in, and
23 per cent reported that they were worried about COVID-19 and wished to return to their
families.

At the time of the interviews, a total of 55 per cent of the respondents who had returned from
abroad had accumulated unpaid debt.

Shirin Lira, Programme Lead for Labour Migration project PROKAS, supported by UKAID,
said that COVID 19 pandemic has an immense impact on migrating women. Thousands of
women who had completed their pre-departure training, manpower procedure, medical test, some
had even bought their tickets, could not fly as all migration-related activities have been
postponed indefinitely, due to COVID-19 .

“They are also experiencing uncertainty of future employment, family pressure, financial loss
and social stigma,” she said.

Shirin also said that the government should make the recruiting agencies accountable to get back
their wages.

She said that the government needs to have dialogue and negotiation with the governments of
destination countries so that they also shoulder some responsibilities. “Wider collaboration
among stakeholders and strong partnership both in Bangladesh and in destination countries can
mitigate the problems that women migrants are facing currently due to the pandemic.”

Seeking justice for wage theft

Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), Lawyers Beyond Borders (LBB) Network, Cross Regional
Centre for Migrants and Refugees (CCRM), South Asia Trade Union Council (SARTUC), and
Solidarity Center (SC) have called for establishing a “Transitional Justice Mechanism” to
address the plight of millions of migrant workers who have been repatriated or are awaiting
repatriation as a result of pandemic-related job loss.

In a joint statement they said that huge volume of cases of wage theft and other outstanding
claims have been heightened at this time and migrant workers’ access to justice should be the
priority of governments.

They said that cases could be received directly from migrants themselves or through entities
providing support or legal representation to migrants. “All pre-existing case documentations
should be referred to the Claims Commissions for resolution. The International Claims
Commission could be administered jointly by ILO and IOM together with other relevant
stakeholders.”
Tk 427cr rehabilitation project approved for
5 lakh returnee migrant workers
Wed Jul 28, 2021 03:30 PM
According to a government estimate, around five lakh migrant workers lost their jobs and
returned to the country in more than a year due to the effects of Covid-19.

The information was revealed during a press conference following the meeting of National
Economic Council's executive committee today.

Planning ministry gave the estimate at the Executive Committee of the National Economic
Council (ECNEC) meeting while approving a project worth Tk 427 crore for creating a database
of migrant workers.

Under the project, two lakh migrant workers will be given Tk 13,500 each at a time.

Planning Commission member Sharifa Khan said, "When migrant workers return from abroad,
they are registered. According to that information, 4.80 lakh migrant workers have returned. On
the basis of that, it was said that about five lakh expatriates have returned."

Planning Minister MA Mannan said all returnee migrant workers would receive various benefits
in phases.

State Minister for Planning Shamsul Alam said a database of all returnee migrant workers would
be created and assistance would be provided considering their financial state.

https://www.thedailystar.net/nrb/migration/news/5-lakh-migrant-workers-returned-after-losing-
jobs-during-pandemic-govt-estimate-2138956

According to ministry sources, more than 1.75 crore Bangladeshis are working in 175 countries
across the world at present. In 2020, 4,08,408 migrant workers returned amid the pandemic.

https://www.thedailystar.net/nrb/migration/news/cash-aid-counsel-expat-returnees-2138481