Poverty forcing young women to illegally migrate to Gulf

New Delhi: In a disturbing trend, young Indian women are increasingly migrating overseas—driven by poverty and abandonment—almost always through illegal channels. Despite a government ban on migration of unskilled and semiskilled women under 30 years, a report by the Centre for Social Research on migration in India and Bangladesh revealed that the number of women migrants was steadily increasing.
    The ‘gender dimension of international migration from India and Bangladesh: impact on families left behind’ said women migrants primarily came from the age group of 28-32 years (28.6%) and 38-42 years (31.4%). “It seems reasonable to conclude that women are generally younger when they seek employment abroad than their male counterparts,” the report said. Most men who migrated came from the age group of 38-42 years (22.8%) and 43-47 years (23.7%).
    Immigration rules of the Indian government clearly prohibit women below 30 years from migrating. “But in reality, from field level observations, it was evident that a lot of women below 30 years of age had migrated,” it said. Speaking on the issue, CSR chief Ranjana Kumari said it was a matter of concern that women were migrating unchecked. “Unskilled women, who are clearly the most vulnerable section, are being sent off by agents to various countries. Very often, they have no idea where they are being sent, have no knowledge of the language or their rights,” Kumari said.
    The study, for which 1,000 families were interviewed in India and Bangladesh, also found that areas in Delhi like Tikri, Sultanpuri, Kalyanpuri and R K Puram were home to an overwhelming number of families whose members had migrated. Two countries stood out when it came to the destination for migrant workers from India. The first was UAE, which was the most popular destination for women (45.7%) and the second-most popular for men (30.2%). The other one was Saudi Arabia, which was the first choice of men migrants (33%) and second choice of women migrants (34.3%).