Protecting expatriate women workers
According to a recent report by UN Women and the International Organization for Migration, hundreds of thousands of South Asian women migrant workers in the Middle East have signed employment contracts that they do not understand or which do not protect them against discrimination and abuse. The findings do not surprise us.
Middle Eastern countries have a well-documented history of exploitation of labour, and international human rights organisations have routinely criticised them for not taking adequate protective measures to shield migrant labour. For women workers, the situation is even more daunting.
Nearly a year ago, Human Rights Watch revealed that female domestic workers from Bangladesh received some of the lowest wages in the Middle East. Additionally, hundreds of female Bangladeshi workers endured physical and sexual assault and subsequently were forced to return home.
Many female workers agree to go to the Middle East having been assured of a secure future, only to have these promises broken later. As they do not have a clear idea about their employment terms, salary, rights, etc, South Asian women workers are highly susceptible to exploitation.
It is the duty of both sending and receiving countries to make sure a worker gives consent to her employment terms only after having understood them. As host countries were not willing enough to address the issues faced by women migrant workers, countries like Indonesia stopped sending their female workers to the Middle East. Unless specific terms are negotiated to protect the rights and dignity of our female workers, Bangladesh government should follow suit. We cannot trade human dignity, wellbeing and rights for money.
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