Thousands of Bangladeshi women who were employed as domestic helps in the Middle East are facing alienation from their own families after returning home with severe physical injuries and psychological trauma.
According to non-government organization Brac, in the past three years around 5,000 women have returned to Bangladesh after being cheated by recruiting agencies and violated by employers in the region.
Shariful Hasan, Head of Brac’s Migration Program, told the Dhaka Tribune that in most of the cases, the victim goes abroad with support from their families, who are happy to receive the money they send home.
The situation can soon turn sour, however, if the women encounter difficulties in their placements.
“When a woman worker returns home experiencing unexpected horrible incidents at her work place, somehow, her family members cannot accept it,” Shariful said.
“When the victims return with severe illness and psychological trauma, what they deserve - not just require - is unequivocal support from her family and society, but what they get instead is social disgrace.”
Shariful said the socio-economic condition of Bangladesh is responsible for the pervading mentality and crisis.
“All of us have to work together for the social reintegration of these women,” he said.
Rokeya Begum, 38, recently returned home to Noakhali from Saudi Arabia, where she had begun work in February as a domestic help at a wealthy family in Riyadh.
She told the Dhaka Tribune that the recruiting agency took Tk40,000 - two month’s salary - directly from her employer, even before she had started working.
“After working for three months, I was paid only Tk16,000 as my broker had tricked me,” Rokeya said. “Although I was supposed to take care of an elderly woman in my employers’ residence, I had to do all kinds of daily chores, all the while being treated like a slave.”
When Rokeya could no longer take her employer’s inhumane treatment, she escaped her job and returned home with the help of the Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh.
The welcome from her family members, however, was nothing like she was expecting.
“My husband and mother-in-law had supported me when I went abroad, but now they have turned their backs on me,” she said. “They have asked me not to go home as they want to avoid public gossip.”
Ostracized from her own family, Rokeya is now living in the airport area of Dhaka.
There are numerous similar cases among women who have returned home after suffering torture.
According to Brac, 10% of all domestic help returnees face problems from their families, and are forced to live without social protection after being rejected by their husbands or families.
A Brac official, asking not to be named, said his organisation provides instant accommodation and other support to these victims.
“Facing such rejection, many of the women even start working as domestic helps or in ready-made garment factories in Dhaka and other cities or towns around the country,” the official said.
Sometimes, some even get involved in illegal and risky works, finding no other way.”
Md Aminul Islam, additional secretary (admin and finance) of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, said that it was a new issue for Bangladesh and the government was closely observing the matter.
“We do not have any ongoing operations at the moment for the workers who returned home after being cheated or tortured, but we are working on social reintegration of these women,” he said.
