Nisha Varia, HR activistsujon molla

Concern over sending female workers to KSA

A senior researcher of Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed concern over the government decision to send female domestic helps to Saudi Arabia where they are often abused by their employers.
"It's not the question if they will face abuse, but the question is when they will face it. Because I am sure that it'll happen," said Nisha Varia, who has been working at the Women's Rights Division of the HRW for eight years.
Her work mostly focused on the migrant domestic workers in Asia and Middle East. She came to Dhaka for attending a meeting on labour migration from April 18-22. On the sideline, she sat for an exclusive interview with The Daily Star to talk about the issue.
The Human Rights Watch is one of the world's leading independent organisations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights across the globe.
Following talks with a Saudi delegation in early April, Bangladesh's expatriates' welfare minister said Saudi Arabia might hire 10,000 female domestic helps and the process would start in two months.
During the talks Sanarcom and Baira -- associations of recruiting agencies of Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh -- signed a memorandum of understanding for workers' protection.
Nisha Varia, however, says domestic helps are not covered in Saudi labour law. So, they have neither weekly holidays nor any limit to working hours. Many have to work 18 hours a day for months or even years without a break.
For years, she says, workers from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Philippines faced many problems including non-payments for even years. Also very common are physical and sexual abuse.
"Sometimes, they're locked inside the house, and they cannot to go out and contact their families.
“While such abuses may happen in any country, what we have seen in Saudi Arabia is that it's very rare for the employers to get punished, even when they confess to abusing.”
Nisha, an International Relations graduate from Columbia University, USA, says when it is important for many women to get jobs, none can stop them from going abroad. But the government should provide proper training before they go.
"If you know Arabic, that will really help prevent some of the misunderstandings and problems that can lead to abuse," she said, adding that they should fully understand their jobs, and make sure they have the skill.
She suggested that the Bangladesh mission in Saudi Arabia set up 24-hour hotlines where the workers can contact for necessary information before they leave.
Also, the capacity of the mission needs to be increased and staffed with trained officials, including female officials, who can deal with the labourer's complaints.