Art and Literature
Around 2,000 Bangladeshi workers returning from KSA each month.

Around 2,000 Bangladeshi workers returning from KSA each month

Art and Literature

BD Correspondent: Around 2,000 Bangladeshi workers returned from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia getting no jobs every month since January, according to officials. They passed days at detention centres before being deported.

On return home they told the media that they had migrated under the so called Saudi free visas.

Under the KSA’s new Saudization policy Saudi companies and enterprises are required to hire local workers in 12 categories of jobs.

In October, the KSA deported at least 2,088 Bangladeshi workers, according to a report of Bangladesh embassy’s labour wing in Riyadh.

According to the report, 1,308 workers were deported from Riyadh and 780 others from Dammam.

On November 12, labour councellor Md Sarwar Alam sent the monthly report to the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry.

The KSA deported, 1,630 Bangladeshi workers in January, 1,318 in February, 2,009 in March, 1,928 in April, 2,170 in May, 1,603 in June, 2,366 in July and 1,446 in August, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport officials told the media. BRAC officials also gave the same report.

During visits to Saudi deportation centres in Riyadh, Dammamn, Al Hasa, Sakaka, Arar, Hail and Hafar Al Baten Bangladesh embassy’s labour officials saw ‘our female and male workers detained awaiting deportation.

In October, during visits to 15 Saudi jails, Bangladesh embassy officials found at least 826 Bangladeshi prisoners.

Since May, BRAC Migration Programme extended emergency support to at least 1,134 workers in distress on return to HSIA.

BRAC handed over 16 mentally traumatized workers to their families after providing necessary treatment.

BRAC Migration Programme head Shariful Hasan called it essential to find out the exact cause why the KSA was deporting Bangladeshi workers.

WARBE Development Foundation chairman Syed Saiful Haque said that the female workers paid heft sums to recruiting agents though they were sent free of cost.

The recruiting agents got $ 2,000 from each Saudi employer for sending each female worker, he said.

Saiful said that the manpower deals signed with the Saudi Arabia should be made public to let them know the details.