Migration experts and migrant rights activists expressed their worries over sending Bangladeshi female domestic workers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia without training.

They urged the government to ensure pre departure training for female workers before allowing them migrating abroad as many female workers became victims of sexual abuse and torture in the Arab country.

They made their observations over a recent news articles that about 30.000 Bangladeshi female workers were sent to Saudi Arabia in 2018 without training on housekeeping.

A total of 73,713 female workers have gone to Saudi Arabia in 2018 and of them 44,352 female workers were provided training on housekeeping, according to officials at Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment.

Global migration expert and Netherlands based Diaspora organization BASUG chairman Bikash Chowdhury Barua told Migration News that Bangladesh government has to ensure that domestic workers, particularly the female domestic workers who were going to Saudi Arabia or other ME countries have their contract.

‘There should have some arrangements of reporting at the Bangladesh missions on their arrival, so that the missions know where these female workers are working and their whereabouts,’ he said.

He also said that Bangladesh government should ensure that these female workers should have the right to enjoy weekly holidays and regular payment of their salaries, as per contract.

He added that Pre-departure training should be a must for any potential worker willing to go for abroad. ‘One can easily imagine what will the fate of one female workers when she lands in an alien country without knowing anything about the country, about her work and the minimum required language.’

Bangladesh Nari Sramik Kendra executive director Sumiya Islam said that it is a big corruption that female workers were sending abroad without giving them training.

She said that the female workers completing 45 day long training at the TTC could not speak in Arabic language

Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit director Marina Sultana said that the government has made mandatory pre-departure training for the overseas female workers.

‘So allowing female workers without training proves the lack of transparence in the recruitment process,’ she said.

Bangladeshi Ovhibashi Mohila Sramik Association general secretary Sheikh Rumana said that there were so many female workers going abroad without taking training.

‘Those female workers are facing abuses, tortures and other problems,’ she said, adding that Bangladeshi domestic workers in Saudi Arabia were in bad condition.

Source: migrationnewsbd.com