Originally posted in New Age on 16 December 2024
Addressing migrants’ rights in labour sector reform demanded
Rights activists at a discussion on Sunday demanded that labour sector reforms should take into account migrant workers’ rights to protect the foreign exchange earners from vulnerabilities.
The International Labour Organisation held the discussion title ‘Honouring the contribution of migrant workers and respecting their rights’ in the capital Dhaka.
ILO director in Bangladesh Tuomo Poutiainen said that this was an opportunity to address the challenges that the migrants face.
The changes to be done would bring huge returns for the sector considering migrant workers’ contribution to the world economy, he said.
Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit founding chair Tasneem Siddiqui said that in recruiting process workers faced various problems, but the high migration cost was the main one.
She blamed politicisation and bureaucratic nexus for many hurdles that migrant workers face.
Centre for Policy Dialogue director Khondaker Golam Moazzem said that the migration sector was one of the lowest receiver in the budgetary allocation, which got only 0.15 per cent of the total allocation although remittance was the main pillar of country’s economy.
Brac associate director Shariful Islam Hasan said that the country’s migration governance was not system driven rather person driven.
Labour migration expert Asif Munir said that the government should hold public hearing to address grievances and publish annual reports on migration situation.
Bangladesh Nari Sramik Kendra executive director Sumaiya Islam urged the government to operate a 24-hour call centre to address problems of migrants.
Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies secretary general Ali Haider Chowdhury said that migration cost from Bangladesh was certainly higher for air fare, medical cost, training and all other expenditures in Bangladesh.
Labour sector reform commission member Shakil Akhter Chowdhury, Infolady Social Enterprise Limited chief executive officer Ananya Raihan, government officials, activists and academics also spoke the event.