Raise awareness to ensure safe migration of female workers
Speakers say at roundtable
Speakers at a roundtable yesterday called for creating awareness at grassroots level about job procedures and requirements to ensure safe migration of female workers.
The roundtable on 'Awareness Development for Female Migrant Workers' was organised jointly by the Unifem (United Nations Development Fund for Women) and BMET (Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training) at the National Press Club in the city
as part of their project titled 'Establishment of Resource Centre for Female Migrant Workers'.
Speaking as chief guest, Secretary to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Mohammad Abdul Matin Chowdhury underscored the need for avoiding middlemen and said, “It is our aim to enable the workers contact directly with the recruiting agencies.”
“Women, who migrate for housekeeping and cleaning jobs, often become involved in unsocial work and become the victims of sexual harassment,” he added.
Matin said migration must be choice-oriented and not need-oriented.
He also called for coordination of all stakeholders for safe migration of women.
BMET Director Mohammad Nurul Islam presented a paper on the awareness development of female migrant workers.
According to BMET report, 4.75 lakh people from Bangladesh got overseas employment from 1976 to June 2008.
Of them, four percent are women whose main professions are housekeeping, garments and nursing.
The UAE, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman and Bahrain are the major countries for migration of female workers from Bangladesh, the presentation added.
Unifem National Programme Manager Naheed M Ahmed said establishing resource center for female migrants is a long process which should reach grassroots level to create awareness for female migrants.
BMET Director General and Additional Secretary Mohammad Abdul Malek said migration of female workers with the job of housemaid should be discouraged.
“When a female worker is employed to a family, it becomes difficult even for the embassy to trace and communicate with her,” he added.
Malek suggested sending of skilled and semi-skilled female workers.
Dr Mohammad Nazrul Islam moderated the open discussion session.
Two female migrant workers Farzana Akter and Tohura Begum took part in the discussion and shared their experience on going abroad.
Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nahida Sobhan and Bangladesh Ovibashi Mahila Sramik Association (BOMSA) Representative Sumaya also spoke on the occasion.
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