Arafat Ara
The country's right groups urged the government to be cautious while sending domestic helps to Jordan as some Asian nations cut down exporting female workers there due to allegation of abuse.
They said if the authority cannot ensure proper security, female workers should not be sent to work as maids in the Middle Eastern nation.
Recently an agreement was signed by the manpower ministry of Jordan and Bangladesh to send domestic workers to the Muslim country.
Jordan is now in need of domestic hands as the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Indonesia -- the main suppliers of such workers -- have cut down sending their domestic helps to the Middle Eastern country due to alleged sexual abuse.
According to Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), presently Jordan needs around 100,000 domestic helps. Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines used to meet Jordan's demand of domestic workers earlier.
Manpower officials said at least 2000-3000 house workers can be sent every month and they will be able to start the migration process from next month.
According a report by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2011 titled 'United Nations Jordan: Domestic Worker Protections Ineffective' criticised Jordan for not protecting rights of domestic helps.
These include beatings, confiscation of passports, confinement to the house, verbal insults, non-payment of salaries, and long working hours with no days off.
A report of 'The Global Times' said that during 2011, the Indonesian embassy in Amman had accommodated, repatriated and settled 599 cases of domestic workers involved in unpaid salary, torture, sexual abuse, among others.
Bangladeshi Odhibashi Mohila Sramik Association (BOMSA) project director Sumaya Islam said hundreds of women migrant workers returned home from Mid-east having fallen victim to physical, psychological and sexual abuse in the last two years.
"So women migrants issue is a very sensitive and manpower ministry should take this very seriously," said the BOMSA director adding that government should not send house-maids to Jordan without ensuring proper security.
At first we have to observe why the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are not sending house-maid to Jordan, then we can take decision regarding this issue, added Ms Islam.
IMA Research Foundation Bangladesh executive director (ED) Anisur Rahman Khan said for ensuring protection of domestic workers, Bangladeshi embassies in Middle Eastern countries will have to be active.
The officials of Bangladesh missions in the Arab region are not cooperative, said the IMA ED. "When the victims go to embassies for getting assistance, the executives do not take the grievances of troubled people seriously.
He also said the Middle Eastern countries’ people are afraid of law. “If we set effective security measures and make monitoring stronger, it will not be very tough protecting our migrants,” he added.
He mentioned that most of the time troubled workers do not get chance to contact with their family member.
So every body remains in the dark about their situation, said Mr Khan adding that if the workers get opportunities to contact with their family at least once in a month, the problem will be solve significantly.
As an exporting country, we are abiding by all the conditions of agreement so we should make bound the receiving countries to ensure our rights, noted Mr Khan.
Migrants’ rights activists also urged the authorities to coordinate the country's foreign and manpower ministry and stop illegal migration by the dishonest recruiting agencies to protect the countryman in foreign soil.
BOESL managing director Muhammad Abdullah contradicted the comments of rights groups and said that the realty was different. Jordan is the safest country for female migrants among the Arab nations.
Indonesia and Philippine are hiking high wages for their workers so the Jordanian manpower authority is not interested to hire them.
"The manpower receiving country has taken a number of steps for the protection rights and safety of female workers," said Mr Abdullah adding that the international organisations and human rights organisations are also active.
So it is not difficult to protect our female migrants, added BOESL MD
Some selected private recruiting agencies and BOESL, the only one government's recruitment agencies will send domestic helps to Jordan.
Jordan, which is now has around 30,000 Bangladeshi workers, had banned recruiting workers from Bangladesh in 2006. In 2010, it relaxed the ban allowing recruitment of only female workers in garment factories, which came to a halt last year.
A total of 30,579 women went abroad out of 567,505 job seekers in 2011, Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) data said.
Nearly 183,000 female workers have gone abroad in last twenty years.
They said if the authority cannot ensure proper security, female workers should not be sent to work as maids in the Middle Eastern nation.
Recently an agreement was signed by the manpower ministry of Jordan and Bangladesh to send domestic workers to the Muslim country.
Jordan is now in need of domestic hands as the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Indonesia -- the main suppliers of such workers -- have cut down sending their domestic helps to the Middle Eastern country due to alleged sexual abuse.
According to Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), presently Jordan needs around 100,000 domestic helps. Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines used to meet Jordan's demand of domestic workers earlier.
Manpower officials said at least 2000-3000 house workers can be sent every month and they will be able to start the migration process from next month.
According a report by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2011 titled 'United Nations Jordan: Domestic Worker Protections Ineffective' criticised Jordan for not protecting rights of domestic helps.
These include beatings, confiscation of passports, confinement to the house, verbal insults, non-payment of salaries, and long working hours with no days off.
A report of 'The Global Times' said that during 2011, the Indonesian embassy in Amman had accommodated, repatriated and settled 599 cases of domestic workers involved in unpaid salary, torture, sexual abuse, among others.
Bangladeshi Odhibashi Mohila Sramik Association (BOMSA) project director Sumaya Islam said hundreds of women migrant workers returned home from Mid-east having fallen victim to physical, psychological and sexual abuse in the last two years.
"So women migrants issue is a very sensitive and manpower ministry should take this very seriously," said the BOMSA director adding that government should not send house-maids to Jordan without ensuring proper security.
At first we have to observe why the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are not sending house-maid to Jordan, then we can take decision regarding this issue, added Ms Islam.
IMA Research Foundation Bangladesh executive director (ED) Anisur Rahman Khan said for ensuring protection of domestic workers, Bangladeshi embassies in Middle Eastern countries will have to be active.
The officials of Bangladesh missions in the Arab region are not cooperative, said the IMA ED. "When the victims go to embassies for getting assistance, the executives do not take the grievances of troubled people seriously.
He also said the Middle Eastern countries’ people are afraid of law. “If we set effective security measures and make monitoring stronger, it will not be very tough protecting our migrants,” he added.
He mentioned that most of the time troubled workers do not get chance to contact with their family member.
So every body remains in the dark about their situation, said Mr Khan adding that if the workers get opportunities to contact with their family at least once in a month, the problem will be solve significantly.
As an exporting country, we are abiding by all the conditions of agreement so we should make bound the receiving countries to ensure our rights, noted Mr Khan.
Migrants’ rights activists also urged the authorities to coordinate the country's foreign and manpower ministry and stop illegal migration by the dishonest recruiting agencies to protect the countryman in foreign soil.
BOESL managing director Muhammad Abdullah contradicted the comments of rights groups and said that the realty was different. Jordan is the safest country for female migrants among the Arab nations.
Indonesia and Philippine are hiking high wages for their workers so the Jordanian manpower authority is not interested to hire them.
"The manpower receiving country has taken a number of steps for the protection rights and safety of female workers," said Mr Abdullah adding that the international organisations and human rights organisations are also active.
So it is not difficult to protect our female migrants, added BOESL MD
Some selected private recruiting agencies and BOESL, the only one government's recruitment agencies will send domestic helps to Jordan.
Jordan, which is now has around 30,000 Bangladeshi workers, had banned recruiting workers from Bangladesh in 2006. In 2010, it relaxed the ban allowing recruitment of only female workers in garment factories, which came to a halt last year.
A total of 30,579 women went abroad out of 567,505 job seekers in 2011, Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) data said.
Nearly 183,000 female workers have gone abroad in last twenty years.
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