Women migrants in West Asia – UPSC GS1

Facts:
  • According to International Labour Organization (ILO)Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC) hosts about 23 million migrant workers.
  • Among these, Women account for 39% of migrant workers, and this count is continually growing.
How working women in West Asia can be divided?
In West Asia, Working Women can be divided into two categories:
  • Skilled: include persons in the organized sector, mainly health care workers in West Asia.
  • Semi/Unskilled: They are domestic workers, care workers, cleaning crew, manufacturing workers, salon staff and salespersons.
What are the job hardship and marginalisation faced by women in the West Asia region?
  • Skilled women employees:
    • Increased working hours without any remuneration.
    • Not provided enough safety equipment like masks, PPE kits to health care employees,
    • Increased mental stress levels of nurses and hospital staff.
  • Semi/unskilled women employees:
    • Business enterprises were bankrupt forced women to leave the country or work for lower wages.
    • Not able to finance their health costs as their health insurance does not cover all the costs.
    • illegal employees face more exploitation and abuse.
How to address job hardship and marginalisation of women employees in West Asia?
  • Address the lacunae in the system to identify the root cause.
  • Implement Right-based policies to safeguard the interest of migrants.
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