Mino and the International Women's Day

We all hear about the harrowing tales of hundreds of poor working women who are pushed into work not by choice but just to provide for the families living on the edge in the age of free trade agreements and free flow of capital. It is something else when it comes to human beings, and more so to women. This time at the Dhaka International Airport it was Mino Begum's turn to take the beating. She had a valid visa, a passport and full fare ticket but that are not enough to pass through the vigilant eyes of ubiquitous "crooks" whose business is to prey on the hapless women and squeeze the max amount they can without an iota of remorse.

Onlookers only turn back and cast an indifferent glance as if to endorse the harassment of women as a norm. This is not restricted to Dhaka airport alone but goes on around the airports of the developing countries. We all are part of this drama that is staged day and night.

This time , I decided to relinquish the safety of silence-- not for the suffering humanity but because I was at the receiving end at the Sana'a International Airport. It is a pity that our sense of social responsibility is aroused only when we personally face the brunt. When it happened to Mino who has been our home caretaker and almost a part of the family for more than three years of our cherished tenure in Dhaka. I knew I have to put my pen to the paper. Thinking everything is in order and getting an SMS from a friend who facilitated her ticket and basic formalities that "Mino made it". I Went to the Sana'a International Airport to receive Mino Begum only to find out that she was not allowed to board the flight because she could not dish out Tk 12,000 to those whose job is to extract money from gullible overseas workers before they can fly.

Tears, pleas and all the explanations have no meaning for those who only understand the language of money. Mino's baggage checked in by the counter, the boarding pass in her hand and a valid visa to travel meant nothing. Her relations had all left after embracing, crying and praying for the safest journey and Mino after having a rough time at the airport was standing with a Manila rope tied box of her life's belongings. She found herself pushed out of the departure lounge. Somehow she managed to get back to her home and next day I started on with my frantic calls to friends to see what could be done now. I was told by my friends there to "give the money and get the thing done" but I guess some of us are hardwired for doing the right thing and feel reluctant to buttress the corrupt system. She was told to either pay or get the passport stamped by the Labor Department after hours of unsuccessful bargaining and threats All this can be explained in a simple way by either the airport counter person or the authorities that check if the papers are in order rather than asking poor, illiterate foreign countries bound passengers to step out of the queue and make a deal. My question is how much does it cost to set up a small desk at the airport by the government or some NGO to help those women travelling alone-- if nothing else but just to save them from injury, insult and improper behaviour practices every day under the glare of blinding lights that adore the international airports.

This Year's International Day for Women set me thinking that I am guilty of being " much talk, no action" type. We all have got into the habit of celebrating too quickly, we go for the rhetoric rather than the reality, we opt for banalities rather than the benefits for those who need it most.