Uncovering the silent deaths of migrant women

In the shadows of booming remittance flows and the quiet resilience of Bangladesh’s labour diaspora, a disturbing reality persists: numerous Bangladeshi female migrant workers, particularly those employed as domestic help in Gulf countries, are returning home in coffins. Officially labelled as suicides or natural deaths, many of these cases conceal a far darker truth.

Marina Sultana, Director of Programmes at the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), has been tracking these patterns for years. “Most Bangladeshi female migrants work as domestic workers in Gulf countries,” she explains. “A worrying trend has emerged: the rising number of deaths, often obscured or misclassified on official death certificates.”

Two harrowing cases reveal the gravity of the crisis. In one, a young woman’s death was ruled a suicide, yet her family insists otherwise. They recall speaking to her just a day before her death; she had described being scalded with hot water by her employer, an injury they believe led to her death. In another case, the cause was reported as a rooftop fall, but the family suspects foul play.

Shakirul Islam, Founder and Chairperson of Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP), says families of deceased workers rarely accept the official explanations. “Many believe these deaths result from severe abuse,” he says. “Some allege the victims were thrown from rooftops after enduring prolonged torture.” Shakirul shares the account of a survivor who, after a brutal assault, was left bleeding without medical help. She survived, but her story underscores the isolation and vulnerability of domestic workers abroad.

The death certificates, he points out, are often “superficial, if not misleading”. They rarely reflect the abuse, psychological trauma, or dire conditions that may have contributed to these deaths.