Saudi vice minister assures of prompt action
Saudi Arabia has assured of prompt actions against the employers who abuse Bangladeshi female domestic workers.
The assurance came from KSA’s Labour and Social Development Vice Minister Dr Abdullah bin Nasser Abu Thuniyan when Bangladesh’s Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad held a meeting with him in the kingdom yesterday.
When Imran Ahmad raised the issue of safety and rights of Bangladeshi female domestic workers in KSA, the Saudi vice minister said prompt actions will be taken if there are complaints of any “negative incident”, according to a press statement of Bangladesh’s expatriates’ welfare ministry.
Imran Ahmad is leading a Bangladesh delegation to KSA and holding meeting with Saudi authorities. He reached there on September 16 and is scheduled to return tomorrow.
During yesterday’s meeting at the Saudi labour ministry, the vice minister also said Saudi authorities will have a rule in place soon so that female domestic workers have bank accounts and the employers pay them via banks.
Some three lakh Bangladeshi women are in KSA, working as domestic help. But there are frequent allegations of physical, sexual and mental abuse by the employers. In many cases, they also alleged of non-payment by employers. Hundreds of them have returned home after facing abuse.
Ministers of both countries agreed to arrange meetings of joint technical committee -- comprised of officials of KSA and Bangladesh -- twice a year to ensure dignified and responsible labour migration. The next joint technical committee meeting will be held in November this year, they agreed.
The Saudi vice minister expressed interest to open a labour wing at Saudi embassy in Dhaka.
The Bangladesh minister assured of all cooperation in this regard.
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