Joblessness at Home
Libya returnees keen to migrate abroad: IOM
Left without available livelihood options at home, majority of the Bangladeshis who escaped the Libyan conflict since February this year want to go abroad again but seek government's assistance for low cost migration.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which is now managing the reintegration programme for around 37,000 returnees, said over 80 percent of them want to go abroad. They say their income overseas is better.
IOM Regional Representative for South Asia Rabab Fatima revealed this at a press briefing at its office in the city yesterday.
Working in collaboration with the government, IOM has already verified the authenticity of 24,543 returnees starting from July and managed transferring the cash grant to most of them. Each returnee is getting Tk 50,000.
The Bangladesh government borrowed $40 million from the World Bank and is providing the grant to meet the immediate need of the returnees, many of whom have returned without any money and were indebted.
To make the cash transfer flawless, the authorities maintained a computerised database of all the returnees, later verified those, and are providing the grant through Sonali Bank.
“We expect that all the returnees will get the grant by October,” Rabab Fatima said, adding that they are maintaining a global standard in doing the job.
Pavel Hossain Khan, a returnee who hails from Munshiganj, said, “I received the government money whose major portion has been used for meeting the family needs”.
He said he was seeking to go abroad with jobs but was not able manage one. The agents want more money ranging from Tk 1-1.5 lakh, said Pavel, adding that it is not possible for him to manage. He said it will be best if the state-owned recruiting agent BOESL sends them abroad at minimal cost.
Another returnee, Mohammad Shohag, said while going to Libya in 2009, he and many others were sent there on tourist visas and initially they had to suffer a lot though gradually they managed to get some jobs. “We don't want to fall in that sort of troubles,” Shohag said.
On the present status of Libya and Bangladeshi migrants, Rabab Fatima said conflicts are still on in parts of Libya and some Bangladeshis are still returning home with IOM assistance.
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