Returnee female migrants need help to bounce back in life

There is hardly any positive news about our female migrant workers employed in the Middle East or those who have returned home from there. Horrifying facts of their lives abroad often make headlines when they are physically and sexually assaulted by their employers, left unfed for days, and deprived of decent salaries. Between 2016 and 2019, the dead bodies of approximately 500 female migrants were returned to Bangladesh. The innocent faces of 14-year-old Kulsum and 13-year-old Nodi—who were sent to Saudi Arabia as domestic workers and returned in coffins after a year or so—are still etched in our minds. Many of the women who came back alive had scars of torture on their bodies and were in vulnerable mental states. Only a few of them managed to make it back in good physical and mental conditions.

After the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, about 49,924 female migrant workers returned home from 21 countries till March 7 this year, according to Brac Migration Programme. How are they doing in their own country now?

A recent study titled "Social and Economic Reintegration of the Returnee Female Migrant Workers: Success and Sorrows," conducted by Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), has found some shocking facts about our returnee female migrants' socio-economic conditions at present. According to the study, 60.4 percent of them are now unemployed, while 65 percent don't have a regular monthly income. Moreover, 61 percent of them are plagued with huge debts, which have made them even more vulnerable in their families.

These women went abroad borrowing money from lenders, while many had to sell their properties. When they started their journey to the foreign lands, they did not have the slightest idea that they would have to endure such abuse there and would have to return home so soon. Being forced to come back prematurely, their economic condition deteriorated further. A majority of them now can't find any jobs here as employment opportunities have declined in their communities as well, as reported by some 30 percent of the returnees interviewed for the study. Those who have found work are doing different jobs from what they did abroad. Moreover, there is a wage discrepancy—54.2 percent of the female returnees surveyed reported unequal pay between returnee and non-returnee workers.

Upon returning home, they have also been experiencing a change of social attitude towards them. While they were abroad, sending their hard-earned money back home, they were respected and considered "empowered" by their communities. They also had the decision-making power in their families. However, after their return, they have lost that power and their opinions no longer matter to their families, according to the study. They are also looked down upon by their communities because of the stigma of being sexually abused abroad. People often make slanderous comments referring to their "immoral character." Due to this vicious social attitude, many of the returnees have been forced to confine themselves at home, further compounding their feelings of humiliation and rejection.

Another shocking revelation is that female returnee migrants are also having trouble in their married life. According to the study, 14.7 percent of the returnee female migrants got divorced, while 10.5 percent were simply left by their husbands.

This is more or less the situation of most of our female returnee migrants, but there are also those who have significantly improved their socio-economic conditions, even though they are a small minority.

Now, the pertinent questions are: How can we help these women to reintegrate into society again? What can we do to improve their socio-economic status so that they can live a respectable life? How can we sensitise the communities towards the returnees, especially those who have suffered physical, psychological, and sexual abuse abroad?

Experts say that we still do not have any specific policy to reintegrate female migrants into society. Manirul Islam, deputy director of research at BILS, said, "In order to provide our female returnees any kind of support, the authorities concerned should register their names first. Without a proper database, it is difficult to keep track of the returnees and provide them with any financial or social support or the treatment they need."

So, first and foremost, female returnee migrants need to be registered and brought under the government's social safety net programmes. The returnees should also get the necessary treatment without hassle. Most of our female returnees were physically and mentally unwell when they returned—55 percent of them were physically unwell while 29 percent had some kind of a mental illness, as the BILS study has found. But most of them were not provided with any treatment for their conditions.

Providing them with skills development training to prepare them for income-generating activities comes next. It should not be very difficult for the relevant government agencies to arrange such training in line with the demand of the job market. The money from the Wage Earners' Welfare Fund, formed with the contributions of the migrant workers, can be utilised in this regard. After all, what is it for if not to help migrant workers, current or former, in distress? The returnees who would prefer to start their own business should be able to get loans at low interest rates. We know that the Probashi Kallyan Bank offers loan facilities to migrant workers, but the process is too complicated for the female returnee migrants, given their social and educational backgrounds. They also need support in this regard. Those who are already engaged in various jobs must be paid as much as their non-migrant co-workers. For this, the authorities should maintain the minimum wage structure.

Understandably, when these women are reemployed or engaged in other income-generating activities, their communities' attitudes towards them will also change. But there still needs to be a protection cell for them, where they can go and file complaints when and if they are socially harassed by people. Sensitising the communities about their struggles and raising awareness about the contributions they made to our society are also crucial.

Since migration is the second largest source of women's employment and empowerment after the RMG sector, the government should do everything in its power to ensure the safety of our women migrant workers. It should sign better agreements with the countries where our female workers are employed, with a focus on their physical and mental well-being. There are many problems related to female migration that need to be identified and fixed with urgency.

However, since our women migrants usually serve a couple of years abroad and then return, the government should also focus on their social, economic, and psychosocial reintegration into society once they come back home. Other labour-sending countries are already much advanced in this regard. It's time we took this issue seriously to ensure a better life for our female returnee migrants. With proper support from the government and the relevant agencies, they can overcome all the social barriers and get back on their feet.

Naznin Tithi is a member of the editorial team at The Daily Star.