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Speakers at a workshop on Saturday called for stronger legal protection, mandatory pre-departure training and increased government support to ensure the safety and rights of Bangladeshi women migrant workers in the Middle East.
The workshop, titled "Challenges, Protection, and Sustainable Solutions for Bangladeshi Women Migrant Workers in the Middle East," was held at the Nari Unnayan Shakti (NUS) Training Centre at Banasree, Dhaka. It was jointly organised by Young Women for Development Rights and Climate (YWDRC) and Nari Unnayan Shakti (NUS), with support from Forum for Culture and Human Development and Global Workforce Services.
Bangladesh Migrants' Rights Forum Chairman Md. Riaz Uddin Khan attended the event as the chief guest, while YWDRC Executive Chairperson Nusrat Sultana Afroz chaired the session. The keynote paper was presented by NUS Executive Director Dr. Afroja Parvin.
Presenting the keynote, Dr. Parvin highlighted the challenges faced by Bangladeshi women migrant workers, including workplace exploitation, violence, abuse and inadequate legal protection. She stressed the need for mandatory pre-departure training covering language skills, vocational education, labour laws, human rights, financial literacy, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, self-defence and emergency response.
She also called for an integrated protection system to ensure rapid rescue, legal assistance, medical care, safe shelter and rehabilitation for women workers subjected to abuse abroad.
Addressing the programme, Md. Riaz Uddin Khan urged the government to introduce a dedicated gender-responsive budget for the welfare of women migrant workers. He also called for stronger labour diplomacy with destination countries to secure safe and dignified working conditions and improve consular support.
In her closing remarks, Nusrat Sultana Afroz said safe migration is not only an employment issue but also a matter of women's dignity, human rights and social justice. She urged the government, development partners, civil society, the private sector and the media to work together to build a humane and accountable migration governance system.
Among others, Mariko Adachi, a volunteer from Japan working with NUS, Mohammad Yasin Patowary, SHILEAD Executive Member Salina Akter and Bangladesh Domestic Workers Employers' Association representative Riya Akter also spoke at the workshop.
The speakers underscored the importance of skills development, safe working environments, social recognition and comprehensive reintegration support for returning migrant workers.
The workshop adopted several recommendations, including mandatory pre-departure training, 24-hour emergency response centres and safe shelters at Bangladesh missions in Middle Eastern countries, stronger action against illegal recruiters and human traffickers, enhanced legal and medical support for victims of abuse, expanded reintegration and entrepreneurship programmes, improved bilateral labour agreements and increased government funding for migration protection initiatives.
The participants expressed hope that the government would take effective measures to safeguard the rights, dignity and welfare of Bangladeshi women migrant workers and strengthen a safe, orderly and rights-based migration system.
