DHAKA: Failing to attract Bangladeshi female domestic workers for their house-hold works the Saudi government has agreed take a close relative along with the selected housemaid in their country.

After returning from Saudi Arabia tour overseas employment and expatriate welfare minister Nurul Islam BSc disclosed the matter at a press briefing held at the Expatriate Welfare Ministry building in city on Wednesday (January 6).

Bangladesh gave this proposal in the context of the allegation of security of the female workers in Saudi Arabia. To this proposal the Saudi government agreed to take one close relative of the female housemaid.

According to the minister, the Saudi authority is interested to take female workers in 12 categories including house-hold workers. Of them, the female worker can work along with the male in the professions of gardening and driving. In this case, the female worker can get the protection of a male partner for her security and care.

The expatriate welfare minister said, “I have discussed the whole gamut of the matter. Now, the joint working group will sign a memorandum of understanding after discussion”.

He hoped that it will be done soon.

In this case, the male partners will not need any migration cost like female workers.

Expatriate welfare secretary Khondoker Iftekhar Hossain stated, “We want to send male workers for the security of the female workers in Saudi Arabia. So that, they can stand by their female partners if there is any unsecured situation for the female workers”.

“This will give a feeling of security to the female one”, he added.

The minister further said, “If we can send 2 lakhs female workers then more 2 lakhs male workers will be added”.

He disclosed that the former enclave women will be sent abroad after imparting them training at Kurigram Technical Training Center.

Moreover, a picture of manpower export of 2014-15 was presented in the press briefing where it depicted that in 2015 manpower export rose to 30 percent more in comparison to 2014.

The minister informed the media that as many as 425,684 workers went abroad in 2014 and a total of 555,881 workers in 2015.

He further said the number of female employment has increased 36.44 percent during this period. So far 103,707 female workers went abroad with employment in 2015 while it was 76,007 thousand in the previous year.

The minister is hopeful that the manpower export which is now stalled will begin soon. He said that the expatriates are making the nation’s economy vibrant by sending remittance that also helped to build a record reserve.

Mentioning the current reserve more than 27 billion dollars, he opined, “due to strong reserve our economy was not affected by the global recession”.
 
Additional secretary Hazrat Ali, DG of BMET Begum Shamsunnahar and high officials of the ministry were present at the briefing.

However, the minister visited Saudi Arabia on last December 29.

BDST: 1711 HRS, JAN 06, 2016
Shahjahan/RR/SMS