Returnee workers will be sent back after training

The government will take steps to send returnee migrant workers overseas again after providing them with training and helping develop their skills based on changing demands in post-pandemic international labour market, expatriates' welfare minister Imran Ahmad said on Thursday.

The steps will be taken, alongside loan facilities worth Tk 700 crore, for returnee workers, he said during a virtual inter-ministerial meeting, said a press release.

He said considering that demand for farm and health sector workers may go up in post-pandemic labour market, a decision in principle was taken to provide training to create skilled workers for the sectors.

Meanwhile, speakers during an online consultation arranged by International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Bangladesh and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Thursday stressed on how different stakeholders can support the government to combat human trafficking and smuggling of migrants, said a separate press release.

IOM Bangladesh Chief of Mission Giorgi Gigauri said vulnerabilities of migrants increase during disease outbreaks, while providing assistance is more difficult.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said in the wake of the recent killing of 26 Bangladeshis in Libya by migrant smugglers, the government was considering updating the existing migration-related legislation to bring illegal migration seekers and their families under "accountability mechanism".

Local traffickers and human smugglers often lure people by false promises of lucrative jobs across the world, said National Human Rights Commission Chairman Nasima Begum.

"To ensure the increased protection and respect for the fundamental human rights of current and aspiring migrants in Bangladesh and abroad, it is crucial to adopt a whole-of-society approach," noted UN Resident Coordinator Mia Seppo. 

Law and Justice Division Secretary Golam Sarwar said seven anti-human trafficking offence tribunals were established in seven divisional headquarters in March, and specially trained judges have been appointed to those tribunals.

Sergey Kapinos, regional representative, UNODC Regional Office for South Asia, said they are ready to support the government in addressing human trafficking.