Rise in the number of female migrant workers

It is promising that the number of female migrant workers from Bangladesh has increased from 37,304 in 2012 to 76,007 in 2014, even though overall migration of Bangladeshi workers has declined by 30 percent over the same period. The country received as much as $15.31 billion in remittance – the highest in the country's history – thanks to the hard work of female workers in FY 2015. 

Though certainly this is a welcome trend, we ought to be cautious about the precarious conditions under which many of our female migrant workers are working in some foreign countries, especially in countries with tainted records of human rights and workers' rights violations. As many as 65 percent of female migrant workers face different forms of violence – including physical and sexual abuse –in their host countries, according to a study published by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), but receive little to no systemic support either in their host or home countries. In a comprehensive study published last year, the Human Rights Watch documented the abuse and exploitation faced by female domestic workers in a particular Middle Eastern country due to a lack of labour protection laws. With 27 percent of the total female migrant workers of Bangladesh residing currently in that country and an overwhelming majority of them working as domestic workers, the government must take adequate steps to provide systemic protection to the vulnerable workers.

As we send more female workers abroad, we must prioritise the issue of migrant women's safety in negotiations with the receiving country, ensure that our embassies are equipped to address their concerns and take legal action when necessary, and set up shelter homes where female migrants can seek immediate assistance.