The recommendations put forth in the memorandum, positively influenced major policy changes in protection of female migrant workers.
1. Earlier recruiting agencies of Bangladesh used to take the responsibility of women workers for sending workers to Saudi Arabia for three months, but according to the decision of the Third Joint Technical Committee meeting held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November, 2019 the recruiting agencies are compelled to take their responsibility of female domestic workers up to two years (contract period).
2. The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Employment issued a directive on December 10, 2019 which states that
● If a recruiting agency facilitates migration of woman by providing false information on age and without medical checkup, legal action will be taken against the recruiting agency.
● The supervisory capacity of the Female Migrants Protection Cell has to be increased.
● Extend the period of the training programme for female workers upto 30 days.
● Introduce a third party evaluation of training of women workers
● Ensure that recruiting agencies provide Bangla translation of the contract and a cell phone to workers going abroad.
● Maintain a list of returning women and their flight numbers in advance with the concerned wing of the Welfare Desk and recruiting agency.
● From 10th of June 2018, government started the double screening mechanism for selecting the domestic workers by interviewing them before and after the training. The minimum age of recruitment of female migrants must be 25 years, the worker must pass the interview before finger-prints are taken, and she has to study at least up to class 3, must have ability to read and understand the agreement provided by the recruiting agency that contains name, address and contact number. Women with children below the age of 5 is not allowed to migrate.
● BMET and MoEWOE are making the R/A accountable for protecting the female migrants. They have become more responsive to address the vulnerabilities of female migrants like initiative to return oppressed female migrants, immediate actions against the recruiting agencies (i.e. locking the server of the agency) when any allegations come against them.
● Probashi Kallyan Desk of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is providing all sorts of support to the vulnerable/needy returnee female migrants and ensuring emergency services with CSOs/NGOs like RMMRU, BRAC. As part of continuous response RMMRU is ensuring shelter home, medical support (physical and psychological), food, and transportation support for returning home through its Migration Support Center, Dakshin khan since September, 2019.
● Probashi Kollayan Desk is providing Tk. 5,000 to female returnee migrants who have returned within 1 year of their migration as transportation cost and others to back their home. In the fiscal year of 2019-2020, this desk provided services to 5,974 female returnees as emergency support.
● Wage Earners’ Welfare Board has launched reintegration project of Tk 60 million for 3,000 returnee female migrant workers to support them in their income-generating activities. Each of the workers will get Tk 20,000 grant to start their livelihood plans. They selected 950 women workers; of them, 70 women have been provided with the fund.
In the case of Abiron Begum, an exemplary punishment was awarded on February 2021. Recently a criminal court in Saudi Arabia has handed the death sentence to a Saudi woman for killing her Bangladeshi which was a rare example of an employer being found guilty of abusing a migrant worker in the Gulf states. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen welcomed the verdict. “I praise Saudi government for giving out this rare yet exemplary punishment” he stated.