December 20, 2024
DHAKA – Rahima (not her real name) left Bangladesh for Oman to work as a domestic help and support her five-member family after her husband passed away.
Although she travelled abroad with the hope of securing a better future, she returned home within a year — in bad shape.
Despite being told she would have to work as a domestic help, she was assigned various other tasks, including working in a poultry farm and carrying heavy water drums up mountainous paths with her bare hands.
“I wasn’t given adequate rest, and after missing work for a day due to illness, they didn’t allow me to eat.”
When she asked for food, she was met with a torrent of verbal abuse.
“When my health deteriorated from the hard labour, my employer told me to see a doctor at my own expense, which meant walking five kilometres to the hospital.”
Eventually, Rahima fled and returned to Bangladesh, where she learned that she had developed uterine problems.
She turned to the Wage Earners Welfare Board (WEWB) for assistance, which has over the past three years given medical help to 125 women migrant workers. Most of them had returned from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, Lebanon, Qatar, the UAE, and other Middle Eastern countries.
WEWB’s records show a concerning trend — most of these women, like Rahima, were suffering from uterine issues
In 2023 alone, 56 women applied for medical assistance from the organisation and 20 were diagnosed with uterine problems. Meanwhile, 19 had endured physical abuse, 10 were suffering from kidney issues, and seven were battling cancer.
Fifty-four-year-old Maksuda Khatun, from Mymensingh’s Gafargaon, returned to Bangladesh from Saudi Arabia on March 16 this year after being diagnosed with kidney disease.
Upon her arrival, doctors found that both of her kidneys were damaged. She now requires dialysis thrice a week, costing her family Tk 35,000 per month.
After applying to the WEWB, she received Tk 1.50 lakh to cover a portion of her medical expenses.
“Apart from this money, I had to spend all the money I saved while working as a domestic worker abroad and even sold a piece of land.
“I don’t know how I will manage my treatment costs in the future,” said Maksuda, whose husband, a 57-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, struggles to support their family.
Experts said female migrant workers were almost always overworked without regular meals, and were subjected to sexual and physical abuse.
Despite visible signs of illness, they were rarely, if ever, taken to a doctor.
About the prevalence of uterine issues among the workers, Farzana Begum Banik, head of the Gynecology Department at Gonoshasthaya Medical College, said she has encountered several such patients.
“As far as I know, they often don’t have access to regular check-ups abroad and can’t see a doctor when they’re sick. Many choose to remain silent about the abuse they endured to preserve their dignity within their families upon returning.”
She added that middle-aged women may naturally develop uterine issues, but poor living conditions play a role.
“Sexually transmitted diseases can also lead to uterine complications.”
Migration expert and rights activist CR Abrar stressed the need for a probe and research into why these female workers, who left as labourers, were forced to return after being denied medical care by their employers.
“The health issues of migrant workers have persistently been unattended and neglected for years. Employers abroad should be responsible for their healthcare but when they [the workers] seek it, they are subjected to even termination, which is quite distressful.”
He added that the interim government must ensure this through binding contracts, addressing the policy gap and investigating these complaints.
Speaking to this correspondent, the former Dhaka University teacher urged Bangladeshi embassies to play a more active role, including staying updated on the conditions of migrant workers and maintaining regular contact.
“If they could check in with workers once a month, many of these issues could be prevented.”
Shariful Islam, deputy director (Welfare) of the WEWB, said they have been providing financial support to returnees based on their medical conditions.
“We have a team of doctors. Based on their examinations, we provide the victims with financial assistance ranging from Tk 50,000 to Tk 1.5 lakh so they can receive treatment.”