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487 Bangladeshi female migrant workers died abroad in five years

| Updated: March 07, 2021 20:31:34


Illustrative image — Collected Illustrative image — Collected

Around 487 bodies of women migrant workers were brought by Bangladesh from different countries in the last five years.

Of the total number, 200 dead bodies were brought from Saudi Arabia, the largest job destination country for Bangladeshi women workers.

The data was revealed by BRAC Migration Programme on Saturday.

In most cases, the reason of death was certified as 'suicide' by job destination countries.

BRAC made the report based on the data of welfare desk at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Besides, about 50,000 women workers returned from overseas countries during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is necessary to take a combined effort by the government and civil society organisations to provide support to the women workers, it suggested.

Of the total cases under the human trafficking law during the 2012 and 2020 period,

1,791 were filed regarding women trafficking, it mentioned.

According to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) information, 303 women were rescued while crossing borders illegally in 2020.

About 1.0 million women workers went abroad since 1991, Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) data indicated.

But there is no databank of returned workers. For this reason, it is difficult to identify how many women workers are coming back home every year.

As per the information of Bangladesh embassy, 13,000 women returned home from Saudi Arabia during 2016 and 2019 period. Most of the returned women workers complained that they were tortured in many ways at workplaces.

BRAC recommended implementing 'Women Migration Policy' properly to ensure protection of the vulnerable group.

It also stressed need for creating skilled women workers for sending them abroad.

Legal protection should be ensured to the women at home and abroad, BRAC suggested.

 

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