45pc female migrant workers return home in face of abuse:Daily Sun

  Around 45 percent female Bangladeshi migrant workers have to return home in the midst of repression at work abroad, speakers at a view-exchange meeting said Tuesday while presenting a research report. They also stressed the need for taking short, mid and long-term plans to improve to protect the female migrant workers as they face widespread abuse abroad. Ovibashi Kormi Unnayan Program (OKUP) ar
ranged the meeting at BIAM foundation in the city. Secretary of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry Dr Khandakar Shawkat Hossain spoke on the occasion as chief guest. Deputy Secretary of expatriates’ welfare ministry Kazi Abul Kalam, Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) Director General Shamsun Nahar, Gender and Migration expert Nahid Ahmed also spoke at the view-exchange meeting. OKUP chairman Shakirul Islam presented the research paper at the function. The research report revealed that, some 44.58 percent Bangladeshi female migrant workers women return home after being repressed in many ways. Of them, some 31.33 percent women are harassed physically while 13.25 percent female workers are abused sexually, the research found. In addition, 43.37 percent women suffer from various health complications at work abroad, the research revealed. While addressing the function, the speakers also said the sufferings of the domestic workers in abroad know no bounds. They face various issues such as lack of work and language skills, legal aid and shelters. “So, the female workers need to be sent abroad considering all these issues. If required, fewer female workers could be sent after ensuring all the facilities for those,” said the speaker, adding “But the problems will be there if unskilled workers continue to migrate abroad.”