From Hope to Harrowing Exploitation

A Bangladeshi woman’s attempt to rebuild her life through overseas employment has ended in allegations of trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation and imprisonment in Saudi Arabia, before her eventual return home under medical and humanitarian care.

Farhana (a pseudonym) left Bangladesh in late December 2024, driven by the prospect of financial stability after years marked by poverty and personal hardship, including widowhood. She had been informed, through a labour broker, that she would be employed by a company in Saudi Arabia in a formal job arrangement. Believing the opportunity would transform her circumstances, she proceeded with the migration process.

According to her account, she financed her passport, medical tests and related processing fees, and also paid a commission of Tk 10,000 to the intermediary facilitating her placement.

However, shortly after her arrival in Saudi Arabia, the situation allegedly changed drastically. Instead of the promised employment, she was subjected to conditions described as forced labour and abuse, alongside sexual exploitation and confinement. She was eventually returned to Bangladesh on 9 February this year in a severely weakened condition and pregnant.

Her medical and social recovery was later supported by BRAC and the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA). On 24 May, she gave birth to a baby girl under supervised medical care. After nearly three months of postnatal support and protection, she has now returned to her rural home with her mother and infant daughter.

Reflecting on her experience, she stated that the reality of working abroad had been starkly different from her expectations, noting that she had believed overseas employment would provide dignity and stability.

Farhana’s early life was marked by instability. Born in Chattogram in 1997, she lost her father at a young age and was raised by her grandparents after her mother remarried. She later left home, stayed briefly in a madrasa, and was brought to Dhaka by a woman. She married in her teens but was widowed early. Left to care for a young son and later pregnant again, she faced severe financial constraints, which led her to give up her newborn daughter to another family.

She subsequently worked in a garment factory before being approached by a broker who offered overseas employment. Trusting this arrangement, she accepted the offer.

Key timeline of events

Her case highlights the vulnerabilities faced by migrant workers recruited through informal brokerage networks, particularly where documentation, job verification and oversight are limited.