Women Migration from South Asia: Comparative Perspectives on Policies

The main objective of this paper is to examines the existing policies on women from one of the largest migrants sending corridors (South Asia) to one of the largest migration destination corridors of world (GCC countries) and provide a comparative picture. Migration needs to be safe and orderly as envisaged in the Global Compact for Migration (GCM). The recent global migration has seen women from various regions, particularly South Asia, making their presence in every sector, from high-skilled professional to low skill domestic helps. Women from South Asia cross borders to look for better opportunities, to take care of their families' economic security back in their native countries and for their personal growth. Indeed, their movements are not free as it appears. Both men and women have to go through a long and important legal authority process to migrate. These legal processes have to be clear from native and host countries, importantly, when it comes to the issue of women's migration, they face a double legal burden compared to their male counterparts. This legal process takes the form of protective policies enacted by the native government. The policies are enacted to protect women from exploitation. Nonetheless, the central question that arises is whether these policies were to protect migrant women, or whether they are creating barriers and restricting or limiting their free movement. The paper uses push and pull theory of Everett S. Lee (1966) where migration occurs in a host of positive, negative and intervening factors. The study is based on secondary data from national and international organisations. There are no coherent migration data available any South Asian countries. However, this paper analysed available data from the various sources directly and indirect available. The policies of many of these South Asian countries still poses barriers for women to migrate. The impact the overall migration experience owing to cultural -social and economic factors needs more proactive policies.