They said there are some pre-departure programmes but those should be thoroughly redesigned to make the orientation modules suitable for different types of workers.

The workshop on 'Safe Migration: Information Campaigns and Pre-Departure Training' was organised by Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU) of Dhaka University (DU) at Biam Auditorium in the city prior to a research to be conducted with the support of the International Labour Organisation.

"We must classify different types of aspirant migrant workers and design training modules on the basis of their education and laws and norms of different countries," said Sheikh Md Wahid-uz-Zaman, director general of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

Terming the status of the female migrant workers most vulnerable, he said the government is laying emphasis on human rights issues, but can hardly do anything.

"We can sign bilateral agreements, but many receiving countries do not honour them.

RMMRU Executive Director Dr Tasneem Siddique said her organisation, in association with some international and local NGOs, have developed some tools, but cannot implement those properly due to lack of information.

A major portion of the workers who migrate to foreign land are unskilled, many of them have little knowledge about various stages of migration and the fraudulence practices by brokers and unscrupulous recruiting or travel agencies, said Dr Siddique, also a political science teacher of DU.

Presently BMET, Bangladesh Association for International Recruiting Agencies (Baira), Welfare Association for Repatriated Bangladeshi Employees (Warbe) and Bangladesh Obhibashi Mahila Sramik Association (Bomsa) are training the aspirant migrant workers.

Dr Nurul Islam of BMET, Mizanur Rahman of IOM, Abdul Alim of Baira, Dr Nazrul Hoque of Bangladesh Centre for Communication Programme and Abdul Mannan of Warbe also spoke at the workshop.