Moreyoung  women from India and Bangladesh are migrating illegally than before, says a recent study conducted by the Centre for Social Research.

While the some of the reasons - poverty, unemployment -are common with most illegal migrants, irrespective of sex, women also tend to migrate because of abandonment by their families, the report has pointed out.

Migration from these countries is mostly facilitated by illegal tour agents and dalas (brokers). "The migration of these women is only on the rise," warns the report.

The illegal status of these women only increases their vulnerabilty to abuse at work where more often than not they are treated even shabbier than their male counterparts. According to the report, "More women than men have to hand over their passports, job contracts and other relevant documents. Woman migrants also faced isolation, confinement and slavery more than male migrants."

The report titled ‘Illegal international migration of women increasing, putting women at a higher risk of trafficking and exploitation’ prepared by Delhi based think tank Centre for Social Research (CSR) said that over 60 percent of the women migrants belonged to the age group of 28-42 years with 28.6 percent in between 28-32 and 31.4 percent between 38-42 years of age.

The report noted that the official age for migration in India and Bangladesh is 30 and 25 years respectively but the rules are violated with many women below the above mentioned age migrating from both countries.

The study said that in Bangladesh, 50 percent men migrants & 78 percent women migrants took decision on their own. 90.5 percent men migrants decided themselves while for 91.4 percent women migrants, their husbands took the decision in India.

The study also blamed the husbands for letting women migrate,  remaining idle and solely dependent on the remittance sent by the women.

A large number of young Indian women prefer to migrate to United Arab Emirates (46 percent ) while 34 percent women go to Saudi Arab, the second choice.

The study was based on the interview done with 1,000 families in India and Bangladesh.

Read the report