Poor bargaining troubles migrant workers
Says Sultana Kamal
Bangladeshi workers face many difficulties abroad due to poor bargaining capacity of both the government and private organisations of the country, said noted rights activist Sultana Kamal yesterday.
“Due to a lack of this capacity, the workers are not contacted properly, their necessary documents are not preserved and salaries are not provided.
“Even during incidents of beheading of Bangladeshi workers abroad, we could not play a significant role regarding the matter,” she said.
Sultana Kamal was addressing as chief guest the inaugural session of a two-day “National Consultation on UN High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development” in the capital's Cirdap Auditorium.
Four Bangladeshi partners of Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) organised the consultation. They are Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), WARBE (Welfare Association for the Rights of Bangladeshi Emigrants) Development Foundation, Association for Community Development, and Ain O Salish Kendra.
Sultana Kamal, also a former adviser to a caretaker government, stressed the need for enhancing the bargaining capacity of countries sending the migrant workers to solve the difficulties the workers face abroad.
The government and civil society members should strengthen monitoring on the process of sending workers abroad to curb corruption in this sector, she said.
On developing the lives of migrant workers, she said development of their rights should be given top priority and taken very seriously for their overall development.
Delivering the welcome speech, RMMRU Coordinator Dr CR Abrar said the private sector, especially civil society members, have an important role to play for the development of migrants workers and protection of their rights.
The first “High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development” was held in 2006 and the second one is scheduled for September 2013.
Yesterday's consultation was a preparatory meeting aimed at bringing together key migration and development organisations, networks, trade unions, media representatives and related government bodies to coordinate and jointly strategise efforts relating to the upcoming second dialogue.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General Shahidul Haque and MFA representative Tatcee Macabuag also spoke at the consultation.
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