Activist, Caritas aid trafficked women

(Feb. 01, 2012): In Bangladesh, a rights activist and Caritas have teamed up to work for the safe return of 24 women, who were trafficked to Lebanon last year and were sexually and physically abused, while employed as domestic workers. Rosaline Costa, coordinator of Hotline Human Rights Bangladesh, along with Caritas Lebanon, have so far succeeded in repatriating one of the women, Rajeda Begum, who returned home last week. Costa said that this week, they were trying to repatriate the other 23 women currently being held by police, or receiving care at a Caritas Lebanon shelter. All were lured by an agent from a local recruiting agency with the promise of a high paying job in Lebanon. Begum and the others flew to Beirut on August 27 last year, and within a few days her family at home lost contact with her. On 3 October she called home and told her family she had been taken to a house upon arrival in Lebanon but soon afterward was sexually assaulted and beaten up. She later managed to escape and went to the Lebanese police, who took her into protective custody and later placed her in the care of Caritas Lebanon. Costa severely condemned the agencies that sent the women to Lebanon and said they should be prosecuted.