Female workers returning home after suffering from various illnesses apply for medical aid to the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board. An analysis of these applications over the past three years reveals that the majority of these women suffer from uterine problems.
In the last three years, 125 female migrant workers applied to the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board for financial assistance for medical treatment. Of these, 50 suffer from uterine issues. Another 14 have kidney complications, and 11 have cancer. Additionally, 50 women, injured due to physical abuse abroad, have sought financial support for treatment. All these women returned home without receiving adequate medical care, with 87 returning from Saudi Arabia, and most of the others from Jordan, Oman, Lebanon, Qatar, and the UAE.
When asked about the high number of women suffering from uterine issues, Dr. Farjana Begum, Head of the Gynecology Department at Gonoshasthaya Medical College, told Bonik Barta, “I have encountered a few such patients. Some received treatment from me. From what I gathered, these women cannot regularly undergo checkups abroad and do not have access to medical care when they fall ill. Some even hide physical abuse after returning home to protect their dignity. Middle-aged women can experience uterine problems, which can also arise from unhealthy lifestyles or sexually transmitted diseases.”
Female workers who returned home after being denied medical care reported facing inhumane treatment from their employers. In most cases, employers forced them to work extra hours without providing regular meals. Many were victims of sexual and physical abuse. Despite their illnesses, they were not taken to a doctor.
One such victim is Taslima (pseudonym), who traveled to Oman as a domestic worker after her husband died, hoping to support her family of five. However, due to her deteriorating health, she had to return home within a year. The job she was promised did not materialize, and she ended up working on a poultry farm. She carried water drums along mountainous roads with both her hands and was not given enough time to sleep. If she could not work for one day, she was deprived of food for two days. When she asked for food, she was verbally abused. Her employer forced her to see a doctor at her own expense when she became ill. She had to walk five kilometers to reach the hospital.
Taslima told Bonik Barta, “I fell ill during Ramadan. My employer said if I got too sick, I would have to pay for my treatment. I paid for it myself. It cost 25 riyals just for some basic medicine and saline. I had to walk five kilometers to the hospital. I returned home without proper medical treatment.”
In 2024, 56 female migrant workers applied to the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board for financial aid. Of these, 20 sought assistance for uterine problems. Among the others, 10 had kidney complications, and 7 had cancer. Nineteen women had been physically abused. In 2023, 44 female workers requested aid; 20 suffered from uterine issues, three had cancer, and two had kidney complications. The remaining 19 returned home after being injured from physical abuse. In 2022, a total of 25 women applied for financial assistance, 12 of whom had been physically abused. Ten women had uterine problems, two had kidney complications, and one had cancer.
Dr. C R Abrar, President of the human rights organization Odhikar and a migration expert, believes the government should investigate the return of these female workers who were denied treatment abroad. He told Bonik Barta, “It’s wrong that these women have to return home for treatment. Their employers should be responsible for providing healthcare. The Bangladesh government should ensure this through contracts and investigate these complaints. The data on illnesses indicates the extent of the problems female workers face. The actual numbers may be higher, and many people are unaware that the Welfare Board provides such financial assistance. This needs to be widely publicized.”
Jamila (pseudonym) went to Saudi Arabia as a domestic worker and was a victim of physical abuse. She told Bonik Barta, “I went abroad after taking out a loan to pay for my daughter’s wedding. I didn’t receive the salary I was promised. After three months, they stopped giving me proper meals. Just bread and tea in the morning. After five months, I fell ill, but they didn’t give me any treatment. When I asked for food, they told me to go away and work. How could I work without food? I was too weak to even get up and drink water. When I asked for rice, they threw it in the trash, and I had to eat from there. I was physically abused and was never taken to a doctor. When I contacted the office, they told me to escape, saying they would wait outside the house with a car.”
Jamila eventually escaped and found refuge with the help of some Bangladeshis. After staying at a local police station and then at the embassy for about a month, she returned home.
When asked about this situation, Wage Earners’ Welfare Board Director General Md. Hamidur Rahman told Bonik Barta, “We provide a maximum of 150,000 BDT in medical assistance to injured and ill migrant workers who apply for financial aid. We only learn about these incidents after they return home. To address this issue, Bangladesh embassies need to play a more active role. They should keep regular tabs on migrant workers. If they could at least contact the female workers once a month, many of these problems could be reduced. There’s a lack of supervision from the embassies. After going abroad, workers lose contact with authorities, which forces them to return home injured and untreated.”