Rescued from a living hell
Abused Bangladeshi woman taken to safe home by Saudi cops after her video clip went viral
A Bangladeshi female migrant worker in Saudi Arabia has been rescued by local police after a video clip of her seeking help to escape torture went viral and made headlines.
The migrant worker -- Hosna Akter, 25, of Anandapur village in Habiganj’s Azmiriganj upazila -- was taken to a safe home in Jeddah on Monday, said a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Watching the video clip, the foreign ministry directed Jeddah Consulate General to take action. Following the direction, the consulate general sought help from Saudi police and rescued Hosna from her workplace in Najran, a city located around 1,000-kilometre away from Jeddah, the press release said.
Hosna sent a video message to her husband in Habiganj urging him to “save her from torture by the house owner”. Her husband, with the help of their relatives, uploaded the video message on internet, reported our Habiganj correspondent.
Talking to the correspondent, Hosna’s husband Shafiullah said a local broker sent her to Saudi Arabia through a Saudi recruiting agency three months ago promising her of getting a wage worth Tk 22,000 per month.
The authorities were trying to send Hosna back home, the press release added.
The incident happened when a government delegation is in Saudi Arabia to attend a Joint Technical Committee meeting over resolving problems of migrant workers, especially female workers, living in the Gulf country.
Earlier on November 15, another female migrant worker -- Sumi Akhter of Panchagarh -- was brought back home from Saudi Arabia through government assistance.