At least 70,000 Bangladeshi women migrant workers have returned home over the past seven years, many reporting experiences of violence, exploitation, and severe hardship while working abroad. Data from BRAC’s migration program indicates that a significant number of these women faced physical, psychological, or sexual abuse during their employment, particularly in domestic work sectors.
Accounts from returning workers describe widespread mistreatment. Some women reported being subjected to sexual violence, forced labor, food deprivation, and unpaid wages. In several cases, women said they fled their employers’ homes and sought refuge in Bangladeshi embassies abroad after enduring prolonged abuse. BRAC reports that it has provided support services to numerous returning workers, including at least 121 women who returned with severe psychological trauma.
According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), more than one million Bangladeshi women are currently working overseas, with migration increasing significantly over the past decade. The number of women leaving for work abroad surpassed 50,000 annually in 2013 and exceeded 100,000 per year after 2015, particularly following labor agreements with Saudi Arabia.
Government data also indicates broader concerns about exploitation and trafficking. The Ministry of Home Affairs reports that more than 6,000 women were trafficked between 2012 and 2025, while hundreds of bodies of women migrant workers have been repatriated during recent years.
Migration experts say that women migrant workers often face three major risks: contract violations and wage theft, physical abuse from employers when work expectations are unmet, and sexual violence. Advocacy groups warn that despite the scale of the problem, many survivors receive limited institutional support after returning to Bangladesh.
Source: Samakal
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