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A Bangladeshi woman who went to Jeddah on a domestic worker visa and allegedly faced abuse has been taken into the custody of the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh.
She was placed under the embassy’s care on Monday (October 5), two days after reports of the alleged abuse were published in the media. Authorities said she is being provided with all necessary assistance.
Azizul Islam Bhuiyan, deputy director of the Information and Communication Wing of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, confirmed the matter.
Earlier, on October 4, Lokman Hossain, director of the Welfare Wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reportedly sent a letter to the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia instructing it to take necessary steps to bring the victim back home as soon as possible.
Hasan Mia, an official of recruiting agency Zenia Overseas, said the woman would be brought back to Bangladesh by Thursday and that her air ticket had already been purchased. She is currently under the care of the Bangladesh Embassy, he said.
The woman’s husband thanked the government for taking steps to bring his wife home quickly and expressed gratitude to the media outlets that reported the incident.
However, he said her outstanding wages and other dues had yet to be paid.
“We are very poor. I request the authorities to take necessary steps to recover her unpaid wages,” he said.
Attempts to contact the woman by phone were unsuccessful as her mobile phone was found switched off.
In her latest video message, she said her wages and other dues had not been paid. She also alleged that she had been forced to give a statement.
She thanked the government for taking steps to facilitate her return to Bangladesh.
