For a Fee: The Business of Recruiting Bangladeshi Women for Domestic Work in Jordan and Lebanon

This study aims to shed light on the industry that pro ts from the recruitment of women from South Asian countries into domestic work employment in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Bangladesh, Jordan and Lebanon. It analyses the ‘business model’ utilised by labour recruiters to generate income and pro t and to minimize risk and loss. In the case of international recruitment, in order to pro t, recruiters must devise competitive strategies to generate income greater than the costs of nding, selecting, processing and mobilising people into jobs.5 By illuminating how and why such recruiters do what they do, the study aims to inform better policies and interventions to protect migrant domestic workers and eliminate abusive recruitment and employment practices.