'Recast process to ensure rights of migrant workers'

A few hundred returnees and aspirant migrant workers marched city streets wearing colourful T-shirts and holding banners and festoons containing slogans for safe migration, reduction of its cost and ratification of the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.

Labour migration, which is already contributing to the national economy immensely, is still run on an ad-hoc basis that results in curtailing its benefits and causes harassment to the workers both at home and abroad, said the speakers at a discussion.

The discussion on 'Raising voice of women migrant workers'

was organised jointly by Bangladesh Ovibashi Mahila Sramik Association, Welfare Association of Repatriated Bangladeshi Employees (Warbe) and Ovibashi Karmi Kalyan Forum (Okkaf) at the National Press Club following the rally from National Museum to the Press club.

Presiding over the discussion, economist Hossain Zillur Rahman said the annual remittance could be 10 to 15 billion dollar if the workers are trained up properly.

Referring to a study, Zillur Rahman, also executive director of a research-based organisation PPRC, said poverty situation in the region from where people migrate to other places is likely to be better.

"If there is a certain source of financing for the aspirant migrant workers, many problems would be solved automatically," he said responding to the issues of borrowing money at high interest rates or selling land for migration.

There should be a coalition with the policy makers and workers for giving an institutional shape to the migration process, and it would be convenient for the planners if there is a comprehensive data on the returnee migrants, he noted.

Speaking as chief guest Joint Secretary to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Amir Hossain said lack of awareness among the migrant workers is one of the major reasons that cause some harassment.

The government has arrangements to protect the workers abroad, especially the female ones, but there are many who stay abroad on irregular status and the government cannot do anything for them, he noted.

Saying that there is tremendous demand for trained workers worldwide, most of the workers who migrate from Bangladesh do not have enough training.

In her keynote presentation on 'Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Rights of Migrant Workers', Professor Tasneem Siddiqui of Dhaka University said the convention does not speak about the migrant workers separately, but this covers all the women who either stay at home or abroad.

Though Bangladesh did not ratify the UN Convention on the migrant workers, the Bangladeshi women who live abroad to work can be protected under the CEDAW, said Dr Siddiqui, also chairperson of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit.

Warbe Chairman Syed Saiful Haque said it is mysterious why Bangladesh government is not ratifying the UN Convention on migrant workers that recognises the irregular migrants and ensure their rights.

Okkaf President Syed Mahbub Elahi said the migrant workers of Bangladesh, who should have been given special honour for their contribution to the national economy, have now become modern slaves.

Okkaf General Secretary Omar Faruk demanded that the political parties should pledge through their manifestos to ensure the rights of the migrant workers.

Bomsa President Lily Jahan said it is not only the responsibility of the government alone to ensure safe migration, but also the responsibility of the workers who in many cases do not care about their job conditions and calculate cost-benefit factors.

Bomsa Project Coordinator Sumayia Islam and Warbe General Secretary Anisur Rahman also took part in the discussion.