The government will send trained women such as members of the Village Defence Party (VDP) to Saudi Arabia and other countries as security guards of girls' colleges, dormitories, hostels and other predominantly women workplaces, a high official of the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry said.

The initiative was taken after Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's recent visit to Shafipur Ansar academy where she said the government would take a plan to send women VDP and Ansar members abroad.

The expatriates' welfare ministry sat with the home ministry to work out the plan in the wake of the premier's meeting.

The government has already allocated Tk 7.30 crore for setting up a modern training centre at Shafipur Ansar Academy to train women defence force members planning to take jobs abroad.

DEMAND HIGH
Demand for Bangladeshi women as baby sitters, caretakers of elderly people and women guards in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries are high, the expatriates' welfare ministry official said.

"There are over 22 lakh trained women Ansar and VDP members in Bangladesh, many of whom could get jobs abroad with a good salary," he said.

Women workers will have to spend not more than Tk 15,000 each for getting such a job, sources said, adding employers would bear all their travel, food and accommodation expenses.

According to the plan, government agency Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited will start the process and private recruiting agencies will come up later.

The government earlier allowed three private recruiting agencies -- Royal Associates, Rupsha Overseas and Tribeny Recruiting Agency -- to send women workers to Saudi Arabia for household jobs.

Two hundred and sixty women workers have been sent to Saudi Arabia so far.