Forcefully confined in Iraq

It is highly disturbing that 16 Bangladeshi expatriate workers sent to Iraq after being properly recruited should be abducted by their employers and forced to live in squalid conditions in a building for the last seven months. The reported forceful confinement by the employer on the pretext that these workers have not been working properly and creating “trouble” is hardly any excuse for such inhumane treatment. This latest incident merely goes to reinforce the fact that recruiting agencies and the employers in the receiving country operate as they please with little or no oversight by the receiving governments and our embassies.
That aside, what bothers us is there is no clear indication as to when and how these stranded Bangladeshis are to be repatriated back to the country. Apart from the latest incident, there are reportedly another 164 Bangladeshi workers in the city of Najaf facing a similar situation. In the absence of basic amenities like food, running water and power, we shudder to think precisely how they are passing their days. It is deplorable to think that had there been no media outcry at the subhuman treatment of our workers abroad, little would be done to help their case.  
The latest incident brings to light, once again, that the recruitment business in the country remains a “grey area” against which authorities remain unable or unwilling to take necessary action to ensure safe and secure work environment of our expatriate workers. That issue aside, steps need to be taken immediately to repatriate these hapless workers from Iraq as soon as possible.