Balanced migration
drishtipat.org
The most recent policy announcement of the government is to compel the diversification of labour migration flows. This is to be achieved by requiring that the selection of migrant workers reflect a greater geographical diversity in the sourcing of the workers. Areas that do not have a history of labour export or that are especially disadvantaged by poverty such as the north-west are to be privileged in the selection of workers for export. BMET is to be the lead agency in implementing this policy and the policy has been welcomed by local experts on labour migration. However, this quota system is to be achieved by disrupting the established migration chain and social networks. Therefore any gains that might be made in achieving greater diversification will be made by weakening the support structures of the existing labour migration flow. The importance of social networks in supporting migration and establishing strong cumulative causation is recognised as one of the principle means by which sustainable migration flows can be ensured. The new policy will therefore work against one of the few support structures that Bangladeshi labour migrants have in the destination countries which is their expanding social network. By compelling diversification at the expense of this support structure the government of Bangladesh only creates another obstacle to the existing flow of migration. It can then be expected that the existing migration network will resort to irregular channels if necessary to enable their friends and relatives to overcome this new barrier to their migration. In fact, the government of Bangladesh seeks to punish the success of a source community in establishing a migration network by deliberately dismantling what should actually be supported and encouraged.
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