Illiteracy is the main cause of violence perpetrated against female expatriates and Bangladesh should not send abroad women who are illiterate, even if they migrate as domestic workers, says Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed.
"It's time to put an end to sending women who are illiterate from our country to other countries,” he said on Thursday while speaking as chief guest at the launching of the Alliance for Women Migrant Voices (AWMV) by the Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS).
The program, held at Bijoy Ekattor Hall Room of Probashi Kallyan Bhaban, was supported by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) and funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
“Anyone's awareness or ability to understand improves dramatically when she or he has a basic level of knowledge,” he said.
He added that having knowledge meant that people would not be taken advantage of easily.
“Those who have completed at least the eighth or tenth grade are educated in my perspective," the minister said.
"No one can be more helpless than an illiterate woman when she is placed on a flight and flown abroad,” he added.
The minister said: “We must play a significant role here. The sooner we are able to take action, the sooner we will be able to free them from suffering."
He added that migrant women, like garment workers, might become a pillar of strength for the country.
"Women's participation in the garment industry is a game-changer for Bangladesh. I believe that the migration of women in order for them to work in other countries can be more of a game-changer than that,” he said, adding that the demographic dividend will last for a maximum of 20 years from now.
“So, keeping our women unemployed throughout these years will be a big loss for our economy,” he said.
Saying that migrating abroad was a personal choice for women, he noted that awareness should be a key priority.
"Women who want to migrate should know clearly where they are going and what they will be doing,” the minister said.
“We have district manpower offices and technical training facilities in every district of Bangladesh. So, it is not hard to get sufficient information from there," he continued, adding that the time had now come to figure out how to make the entire process safe and easy for them.
Imran Ahmed said that there were numerous opportunities for women to work as caregivers or nurses and that having the right skills would help them to survive.
"But language is the most important thing for that. In Japan, you need to know Japanese. But if you can speak English well, it works in European countries. And, before going, you need to learn your work very well.”
Shaheen Anam, the MJF executive director, graced the launching ceremony of AWMV, saying: “In 2021, it was estimated that 13% of the total migrant workforce from Bangladesh were women. It will increase more. Therefore, we should ensure a safe, regular and gender-based discrimination-free migration pathway for them.”
Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, secretary of the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment ministry, told the media: “Migration can be an important tool for our economic development. But to do that, we should portray it positively as 78% of migration-related reports are negative. So, instead of being reactive, we should be proactive regarding this matter.”
