Editorial
Safer migration emphasised
Strengthen consular support
The International Migrants Day was observed worldwide yesterday with a view to establishing the rights of migrants. For Bangladesh the day is of utmost importance because foreign remittances constitute the second largest source of our foreign exchange earnings. On the occasion, while we cheerily recognize the contributions of Bangladeshi wage earners overseas, we express our grave concern over an increasing presence of illegal Bangladeshi migrant workers in foreign lands. Although there are no reliable statistics, concerned government bodies put the number of such migrants at more than one lakh a year.
Illegal migration is mostly a result of racketeering involving a whole lot of people especially the brokers and traveling agencies. Several recruiting agencies are also suspected to have their share in the underhand dealings. At the same time, many would go abroad on a student or travel visa and stay back to get a job. Therefore, there is a need for awareness building.
Ramifications of illegal migration are manifold. Most obvious of which is, the victims have to embrace a life of uncertainty and exploitation, often ending up in prisons. Second, they earn a bad name for the country and may adversely reflect on the goodwill of Bangladeshi workers in general.
The onus is now on the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment to bring the sector under a far stronger legal framework. The Bangladeshi missions abroad should have a data base on all Bangladeshi workers for sure-footed actions to provide protection to our overseas workers. One of their jobs should be to legalize the status of illegal workers.
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