1–2 Percent of Bangladeshi Women Workers in Saudi Arabia Face Abuse, Foreign Ministry Tells Parliamentary Committee

Between 1 and 2 percent of Bangladeshi women workers employed in Saudi Arabia face abuse, the Foreign Ministry has told the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry. It was stated at the meeting that around 169,000 Bangladeshi women workers are currently in the country.

The issue was discussed on Sunday afternoon at a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. Committee chair Johorat Adib Chowdhury presided over the meeting, the committee's third.

The committee directed that necessary steps be taken to bring such incidents down to zero. It also warned that while the figure may sound small as a percentage, in absolute numbers the incidents are many.

After the meeting, committee chair Johorat Adib Chowdhury told reporters that many sad incidents of abuse of women workers occur in Saudi Arabia. Information is gathered by asking them when they come to collect passports, and surveys are also conducted through third parties.

Adib Chowdhury said the ministry presented data showing that 1 to 2 percent of women workers in Saudi Arabia are subjected to abuse. Noting that 1,364 women domestic workers have so far been rescued and safely repatriated, she said: 'One to two percent sounds like a small number, but 1,364 — that is not acceptable. Directions have been given to take measures to bring such incidents down to zero.'

A Parliament Secretariat notice said the committee recommended that the ministry take necessary steps to protect women workers employed in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries.

Related sources said the committee directed regular reviews of statistics on how many calls come to embassy hotline numbers from women workers in the Middle East, how quickly responses are given and what kind of assistance is provided. It also emphasised checking progress after six months and setting specific performance indicators (KPIs) to measure service quality, including passport delivery and complaint disposal.

The meeting also discussed that the lack of Arabic language skills is a major challenge in providing consular services in Saudi Arabia, while language skills are essential for communicating with expatriates and providing necessary assistance. The ministry has taken an initiative to train its staff in Arabic to address the problem, though the meeting noted it may take time to see the benefits.

Committee members ABM Mosharraf Hossain, SK Azizul Bari, Saeed Al Noman, Humam Quader Chowdhury and Sanjida Islam also attended the meeting. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir attended at the committee's special invitation.