A huge number of women, who went to different Middle Eastern countries with the hope to better the financial conditions of their families, are now returning home empty-handed.
Many of the returnees cannot go abroad for second time because of some complexities detected in their documents, while many of the female migrant workers are unable to return home because of the similar problems. The brokers, locally known as ‘Adam Bepari’, are mainly responsible for making their return difficult.
A lot of people from Habiganj district, haor areas of Sunamganj district and different other districts of Bangladesh went to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and other Middle Eastern countries and many of them are now returning home empty-handed. Most of these returnees are women.
Reports have it that they were subjected to torture and deprivation because of the tricks played by a class of brokers and fraudsters. A number of affected female migrant workers lost everything and have already returned to the country empty-handed and are living a substandard life.
According to the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board (WEWB) in Sunamganj, about 8,000 men and women of Sunamganj and Habiganj districts returned to the country in the last eight months from the Middle East after suffering deprivation. Most of the affected workers are women and they mainly belong to haor areas.
A WEWB official in Sunamganj said the Haor women who went to the Middle East in search of livelihood are returning home empty-handed. These illiterate and little-educated women workers are being deprived by being caught by the trap of special benefits and high salary promised by brokers. Halima Khatun, a residentof Sadargar village under Tahirpur upazila in Sunamganj, was in Saudi Arabia for two years. She returned home when her Saudi owner has not paid her salary and remuneration for two years.
Meanwhile, some non-government organisations are now working to rehabilitate the affected workers. “We are working to make the returnees self-reliant through cooperation and training in various ways so that they can organise themselves,” said Gazi Nazmul Islam, assistant director of Sunamganj Welfare Center.
Mohammad Rashed Iqbal Chowdhury, deputy commissioner (DC) of Sunamganj said that immigration aspirants should acquire skills to go abroad without falling into the clutches of brokers.
With the same dream of Halima, many women of Habiganj went to Middle East and retuned empty-handed.
Rozina, a six-year-old child, believes her mother will return home soon with chocolates and new dresses for her. But the anxious waiting for mother by her child protracted.
However, Rozina’s mother Shahnaz Begum, 30, an inhabitant of Dudhpatil village under Gazipur union at Chunarughat upazila of Habiganj; is unable to return home from Jordan because of some complexities. Shahnaz is also worried about the safety of her life in the Middle Eastern country, it is alleged.
Shahnaz’s family members said that Shahnaz went to Jordan through ‘Adam Bepari’ (brokers) four years ago, hoping to change the family’s financial condition. Now she wants to return home, but she is unable to return as the name recorded in the passport does not match with the name on her National Identity Card (NID card). If she returns home with this complication, it will be difficult for her to go abroad for the second time.
Talking to the Daily Bangladesh Post, Shahnaz’s husband Faruk Mia said, “I and my daughter want her back in the country. If my wife returns home under such condition, she cannot go there for second time. However, she has to return to the country after sacrificing several months’ salary in Jordan.”
Razna Akhter and Jusna Akhter of the Dudhpatil village could not go back to Jordan after coming home on vacation due to the same complications.
It was known that a local broker mentioned the name of Jusna Akhter as Poly Akhter in the passport through fake birth registration. Other information also does not match with the National Identity Card (NID card). As a result, she could not go back to Saudi Arabia for a second time after staying there for a year.
Talking to the Daily Bangladesh Post, Jusna Akhter said, “Adam Bepari (broker) took one and a half lakh money for sending me to Saudi Arabia along with making a passport. I managed to save Tk. 90,000 by working as a domestic worker for one year. The rest of the money has been lost as she could not go to Saudi Arabia for the second time.”
It has been found that about 600 women of Usmanpur, Manikbhandar, Dudhpatil, Balla and Tekerghat villages of Gazipur Union work as domestic helps in different countries of the Middle East.
Freedom Fighter Ruhul Amin of Dudhpatil village said that most of the women going abroad are between 25 and 35 years old. At least 30 of the women have returned empty-handed. Some of them have also been tortured abroad.
In response to the question as to why she did not protest against injustice, Rafia Akhter of the area said that if she knew the language, she could have hired a lawyer and sought justice. “Somehow I have returned to the country after leaving six months’ salary as security and promising to return again. I won’t go to Jordan again,” she said.
Mahbubul Alam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (Acting) of Chunarughat, said that the women are facing obstacles abroad due to lack of awareness, false lure of brokers and lack of skills. Regarding the complexity of documents, he said that the expatriate women will be given utmost importance when they come to the upazila administration.
Our Habiganj Correspondent Badrul Alam contributed to this news item