Fieldwork with return female migrants in Bangladesh with Jinat
12 IN THE PICTURE
A day in the life of three
Three students working on different research topics , using different approaches and methodologies but with the same struggle : deliver their master thesis on time and make it a good one ... Let ’ s get to know how Jinat Hossain , João Dos Santos Lima and Carlotta Nanni experience their last and perhaps most demanding module of IOB master studies .
Fieldwork with return female migrants in Bangladesh with Jinat
Research topic Gender , Migration and Well-being : Unpacking the Dynamics of Bangladeshi Women Labour Migrants to the Middle East .
Motivation In order to benefit from positive impacts of female migration and to meet its obligation as a state party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women ( CEDAW ), the Government of Bangladesh has been gradually relaxing policies on women migration from ban to “ protect women ’ s safety , honor and dignity ” to more flexible arrangements . As there is an ongoing debate in the country for complete withdrawal of restrictions on the migration of women , this study aims to provide a thorough understanding of the impact of such a policy change on gender , migration and development dynamics in Bangladesh .
Methodology The study combines a literature review and data analysis from qualitative fieldwork undertaken in Bangladesh with returned female migrants , different mediators , manpower agency officials and other key informants .
Outline of first day in the field I arrived in Dhaka on 8 June 2017 during the holy month of Ramadan ( fasting period for Muslims ). After selecting my respondents with the support of OKUP ( a local NGO working with migrant workers ), I effectively started the interviews on 12 June with a huge rain typical of the monsoon time ( too bad : I will have to deal with muddy roads in villages on top of traffic jams in Dhaka …).
A typical Ramadan day starts with the suhur ( meal taken early in the morning to start the fasting ) at 4 am . Then , together with my sister Prithwi and Jubair , a former student who kindly offered his assistance , I took the road for Rupganj at 6 am . We arrived in Rupganj and after using some Sherlock Holmes ’
Exchange to change September 2017