IOM Dhaka jointly with UNIFEM organised a policy dialogue on measures required to address the current and possible impact of the global financial crisis over Bangladeshi women migrant workers. This is part of a series of policy dialogue on the issue organised by IOM to generate policy and practical measures by the government, civil society and private sector. In April a similar dialogue discussed immediate and long term policy responses to address the negative impact of the global financial crisis on the overseas employment sector.

Bangladesh is among the top 10 remittance sending countries in the world. It is also one of the highest labour sending countries. In 2008, the remittance was $ 9 billion and the total number of overseas workers was more than 870 thousand. But with job cuts in many Asian and Middle East countries due to the global financial crisis, experts and official sources believe that remittances might slow down and more workers might be forced to return home during the second half of the year.

‘Women migrant workers might be the worst hit due to the crisis. Men and women migrant workers experience crisis differently in most cases. Since women work more in the informal, low skilled and unregulated sectors of the economy, they are more vulnerable to exploitation than men’, said Ms. Rabab Fatima, Regional Representative of IOM in Dhaka.

Official figures indicate that women’s migration was approximately 20,343 women leaving Bangladesh in 2007 which is around 2.2% of the total Bangladeshi migrant workers that year. However, that does not reflect the number of undocumented female migrants working in South Asia and the Middle East, which is believed to be much higher in number. Female migrants from Bangladesh occupy a major share in the domestic service sector in Middle Eastern countries.

The policy dialogue brings together key representatives from the government, women law makers, international organizations, migrant organizations, media as well as civil society representatives working on women’s migration and women’s rights. The State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Hasan Mahmud is the Chief Guest.

For more information please contact Asif Munier at IOM Dhaka. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Tel. +880.1.714.114.659 or Tanya Huq Shahriar. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Tel. +880.1.713.01.1705.