From dreams to despair: Sufferings of Bangladeshi women migrant workers

Illustration: TBS

When 14-year-old Jyotsna was married off in a rural village, her life revolved around farming and tending to livestock with her husband. Their modest household survived on hard work. But things took a turn when her husband's behaviour suddenly changed—he started returning home late, earning less, and engaging in frequent fights. 

Her husband lost his source of income (agricultural activities) due to climate change. Once her husband migrated to the nearby town without informing them. Abused by both her husband and in-laws, Jyotsna saw no way out but to migrate to Keraniganj first and then to Saudi Arabia as a domestic worker. 

But the promises offered in the guise of migration quickly turned into a nightmare. 

Misled by those who advised her, Jyotsna was never warned of the dangers that awaited her in the new place. Upon arrival in Keraniganj, her employer came up with indecent proposals. What followed was months of sexual harassment, physical and mental abuse, and fatigue caused by insufficient rest. 

After six harrowing months, she managed to migrate to Saudi Arabia. But luck did not favour her as she was subjected to violence again in the employer's houses. After six months, she was able to communicate with the Bangladesh Embassy and was finally repatriated. 

But Jyotsna returned home without any savings and was deeply traumatised. Her family had assumed she was either dead or missing. Her homecoming was marked not by joy—but by silence, scars, and suffering.

She was made to work until midnight without rest and endured various forms of abuse, including physical violence. In a desperate attempt to escape the harsh conditions, Jyotsna changed employers three times—but the situation remained the same. 

Since 1991, over one million Bangladeshi women have migrated for work—98% of them as domestic workers, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET). But for many, the journey ends in tragedy.

A study by the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) titled "Death of Bangladeshi Female Labour Migrants in Destination Countries" reveals that 709 Bangladeshi women migrant workers died abroad between 2017 and 2022—most while working as housemaids. 

Key findings include—37% died of so-called natural causes, 22% died of strokes, 10% from diseases like cancer or heart issues, 16% died by suicide and 14% were killed in accidents. Several were murdered, mainly in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, and the UAE. To our dismay, around 62% of all female migrant suicides happened in Saudi Arabia.

Ayesha Akter, Programme Associate of Badabon Sangho working in gender-based violence (GBV) programme, said, "Generally most of the women migrate to Dhaka or other foreign countries for searching jobs or a source of income. Amongst them, a significant portion has to endure different levels of sufferings including violence. Most of them are generally settled in slums and don't have awareness of the types and nature of gender-based violence and how to report. They are becoming vulnerable to gender-based violence both in informal settlements and the workplace. Considering the situation, Badabon Sangho has been working with women and girls in informal settlements to develop a reporting tool. It is a social mobilization tool, so that the community is informed about the hotline number and some volunteers are also there, so that they can report confidentially.   violence."  

"Over one million Bangladeshi women have migrated for work to the Middle East and other parts of the world. Among them, nearly half a million have gone to Saudi Arabia as domestic workers. On one hand, we claim to be a middle-income country, but on the other hand, we continue sending women as housemaids to Saudi Arabia—these two realities do not match", opined Shariful Hasan, the Head of BRAC Migration Programme. 

He added, "However, if the state insists on sending workers to Saudi Arabia, then all issues must be resolved beforehand, such as ensuring valid passports and proper training. And if a woman faces problems or abuse after arriving in Saudi Arabia, that country must take responsibility. If both governments take responsibility, I believe the issues can be resolved."   

"The government must take strong steps to ensure the protection and rights of our women migrant workers. Especially since most of our female migrant workers go to Saudi Arabia, it would be much better if we could provide them with training and send them as caregivers or nurses instead of sending them as housemaids," Shariful concluded.