Overpopulation, combined with a low adult literacy rate, has been a serious hindrance to our nation’s development -- causing an excess of job-seekers compared to job availability.
As such, millions of Bangladeshis seek out work overseas, with most of them going to the Middle East.
These migrants send billions of dollars’ worth of remittances every year, helping improve the lives of family members at home and driving our economy forward.
But there is a dark side to this story.
The high mortality rate among Bangladeshi workers in the Middle East due to appalling working conditions, abuse from employers, lack of health care, etc is disturbing enough. But women migrants are at risk of another terrifying and unique nightmare in addition to this common ordeal.
Thousands of Bangladeshi women are being trafficked every year under the guise of legitimate employment as domestic help, where they are physically, sexually, and mentally abused by their so-called employers.
But this isn’t exactly breaking news.
Bangladeshi authorities have been aware of this for a while now. Far from ensuring workers’ safety, as TIB has pointed out, the authorities are often complicit in the process, with BMET, for example, certifying and facilitating migration for those who end up being victims.
Rooting out traffickers and unscrupulous middlemen right here in Bangladesh is the most pragmatic and effective way to prevent exploitation of our workers.
We cannot sit around waiting for Middle Eastern countries to cooperate when their track record shows that they care very little about human rights.
The government should start by supporting grass-roots organisations at home which work closely with women migrant workers, like the Bangladeshi Ovhibashi Mohila Sramik Association (BOMSA), and others trying to raise awareness among potential targets -- ie, rural, unskilled women.
Our women workers abroad deserve better.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
