Female Labor Migration in the Middle East from Bangladesh: Remittance Warrior or Modern-Day Slave?

Nurul Huda Sakib, Ayesha Ahmed Ridi and Nusrat Mahmood
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Nurul Huda Sakib: Department of Government and Politics, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka
Ayesha Ahmed Ridi: Department of Development Studies, Bangladesh University of Professionals, Dhaka
Nusrat Mahmood: BRAC University, Dhaka

Journal of Developing Societies, 2025, vol. 41, issue 2, 187-215

Abstract: Modern-day slavery is a horrific crime of the twenty-first century. Many unskilled female laborers migrate to the Middle East from Bangladesh, where they are involved in nonskilled jobs and experience traumatic situations. This study explores Bangladeshi female migrant workers’ experiences in the Middle East and discovers why and how female labor migration influences modern-day slavery. This study will explain the experiences of female migrants in the Middle East based on in-depth interviews chosen through snowball sampling. This article has found the role of Dalal, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and the state in promoting modern slavery as a neoliberal economic strategy. The findings show that both parties driving profit-making cite the migrants as “remittance warriors.†It is also argued that the barbarism of slavery did not end in this modern age; instead, it has changed its form, and female labor migration in Bangladesh is a perfect example. This study will benefit the government in being aware of reconstructing the foreign policy regarding labor rights and will educate people about safe migration process. Laborers can receive skill-based training in order to find a decent job in their destination country, and they can also use their skills in reintegration programs after returning home.

Keywords: Slavery; forced labor; modern slavery; remittance warrior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jodeso:v:41:y:2025:i:2:p:187-215

DOI: 10.1177/0169796X251321879

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