At least seven Bangladeshi housemaids returned home from Hong Kong last month after facing various problems including torture, over work, inadequate food and cultural barrier, officials of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training said on Wednesday.
BMET was examining the allegations lodged by the returnees to take a decision about the new destination country, they said.
A total of 146 housemaids have so far gone to Hong Kong through SA trading and Sadia International, two recruiting agents in Bangladesh, after undergoing two-month in-house training, they said.
Most of the returned workers were sent to Hong Kong through Sadia International, they said, adding that all the Hong Kong-bound workers took $ 1,300 each as migration loan from Probashi Kalyan Bank to bear their cost.
Srabanti, a housemaid from Khulna, went to Hong Kong, but she had to return home within a month as her employer compelled her to work for more than 8 eight hours, a senior BMET official told New Age.
The official also said, quoting Srabanti, that she was not given enough food. During holidays, the employer forced her to leave out of the house and asked to manage food outside, the official said.
‘It was difficult for a (Bangladeshi) housemaid to manage food in the street,’ he said, adding that housemaids from other countries including Philippines have friends to spend their holidays.
Besides, the recruiting agents in Hong Kong demand money from the housemaids, he said.
Like Srabanti, other housemaids including Rita and Sumi Biswas also complained at the bureau office, the official said.
Another BMET official told New Age that when employers disliked the housemaid, they started misbehaving with her to ensure ‘self termination’ of employment in a bid to evade some compensation.
If employer terminates worker, he/she would have to arrange air-ticket and also pay one month’s additional wage, he said.
Hong Kong recruiting agents including Tony KW Lau, chairman of general chamber of Hong Kong manpower agency and Vanessa Law, general manger of Pacific Garden Employment Agency and proprietor of Sadia International Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman attended a hearing arranged at BMET office held in the last week of September, officials said.
When asked, Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman admitted that about five workers sent by him recently returned home facing food problems and feeling homesickness.
He said that he was working with expatriate welfare and overseas employment ministry to develop a mechanism to minimise problems and ensure payment of compensation if the workers returned before the contract period.
‘Sending back of the workers will always take place,’ Noman said, adding that a mechanism would have to be developed to protect the workers and ensure payment of compensation.
When asked about migration loan taken by the workers coming back from Hong Kong, BMET additional director general (employment) Jabed Ahmmed told New Age that the government was yet to take any decision on how the migration loan of the returned workers would be recovered if the workers returned home within a short time.
‘It is a new experience for us. We will discuss the issue to develop a mechanism,’ he said, adding that realisation of $1,300 would be a great concern for the government.
Hong Kong started recruiting Bangladeshi housemaids under an agreement BMET signed with the General Chamber of Hong Kong in May 2012.
Officials said about 40,000 female domestic workers recently enlisted themselves with the BMET for overseas employment.
-With New Age input
