Human Rights of Migrant Workers: Understanding the Situation of Bangladeshi Workers in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Though migrant workers like all human beings are entitled to fundamental human rights, including non-discrimination, equality of treatment, and the right to a safe and healthy working condition, Bangladeshi Migrant workers in informal sector of Saudi Arabia labour market are facing right violations. The purpose of this study is to understand the human rights situation of Bangladeshi migrant workers, the human rights challenges faced by them and the role of labour attaché in protecting human rights of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. In this regard, qualitative research approach is deemed suitable to have a detailed understanding of the existing phenomenon. Thus, this research has incorporated three (03) FGDs (Focus Group Discussions) with returnee Bangladeshi migrant workers and recruiting agents and thirty (30) IDIs (In-depth Interviews) with returnee Bangladeshi migrant workers from Saudi Arabia, labour migration experts, academicians, government and non-government officials, labour attaché and recruiting agents of Bangladesh. This research finds that Bangladeshi migrant workers are facing discrimination, deprivation, exploitation and forced labour in both pre and post migration stage. The migrant workers’ low socio-economic background, unawareness of recruitment process and legal support, dependency on labour intermediaries, lack of adequate policy measures and insufficient enforcement mechanisms are contributing to human right violation. In this regard, the role of labour attaché is crucial to ensure humane labour migration that upholds migrant workers’ rights and privilege. This study contributes to academic and policy discourses by providing critical insights on migrant human rights situation and the human rights challenges with adequate empirical evidence supported by experts’ opinions and existing national and international legal documents.