The most dreaded part of Mainul Islam’s journey back to Saudi Arabia is passing through Dhaka International Airport.
The 34-year-old construction worker’s journey to Dammam begins with a five-hour train ride from his village in north-west Bangladesh.
Carrying more bags than he can hold, Islam jumps off his train in Dhaka, weaving through the city’s busy roads, to walk up the ramp towards the airport, joining the legions of Bangladeshis leaving the country to work in the Gulf.
“Sometimes you have to pay the police outside the airport a bribe to avoid the extra and unnecessary checks on my bags and passport,” said Islam.
“The officials look down at us like we mean nothing when we work so hard across the world to bring in millions of dollars to help this country.”
