Migrant workers exploited abroad
Bangladeshi migrant workers face numerous challenges, including high agency fees, low wages, discrimination and exploitation, despite toiling abroad, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said yesterday.
The points were highlighted on the first day of a two-day conference on labour migration governance at a hotel in Dhaka.
The conference has been organised to share achievements of a project undertaken by the ILO on labour migration governance and discuss next steps.
The project styled Application of the Migration Policy for Decent Work for Migrant Workers is being supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
In the coming years, it will provide technical support to the constituents of the ILO for an effective implementation of the existing policy framework.
Imran Ahmed, state minister for expatriates' welfare and overseas employment, said the government is very keen to reduce the cost for the migrant workers.
"The government is going to set up an information cell at union-level digital information centres to disseminate information on fare, orderly and safe migration."
Currently, there are around 10.9 million Bangladeshis working in 165 countries. Every year, two million people join the workforce, of which about 1 million go abroad for work.
Migrant workers sent home $15.53 billion in 2018, up 14.79 percent from 2017, according to the Bangladesh Bank.
The remittance, which accounts for 7 percent of the country's gross domestic product, is nine times the current level of foreign direct investment, and seven times the foreign aid, making labour migration a key strategy for the future human development in the country.
UN Residence Coordinator Mia Seppo, ILO Country Director Tuomo Poutiainen, SDC Senior Adviser Suzanne Mueller, and Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies' President Benjir Ahmed also spoke at the event.
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