A female migrant who want to work in Saudi Arabia can take one of her close male relatives with her to stay there for security reasons, said Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam yesterday.
He said the labour minister of Saudi Arabia had agreed to allow female migrants to take one of their close male relatives without paying any additional money when the issue of security of female workers was discussed with the minister during a recent meeting.
“The Saudi Arabian government wants to hire 200,000 female workers from Bangladesh. When we said our female workers show reluctance to work there due to security reasons, the labour minister said every female worker will be permitted to be accompanied by a close male relative,” the minister told reporters at Probashi Kallyan Bhaban in Dhaka.
He said the process for female workers to take male relatives along would begin soon. “The males who will go with female migrants can be their husband, brother, cousin or any close relative.”
The minister said the males who would go with the female workers could also work as drivers, guards, gardeners and supervisors.
He said 100 former exclave residents would migrate to Jordan by this year and the cost would be low.
Overseas Employment Secretary Khandker Md Iftekhar Haider told reporters these migrants would work in Jordan’s garment sector.