Formulate stringent laws to protect migrant workers

A national conference in the city yesterday recommended framing of stringent laws both in labour sending and receiving countries to protect migrant workers and stop human trafficking and irregular migration.
It also suggested negotiations between these countries in these regards saying that some bad recruitment practices have made it difficult for the workers to get best out of their overseas employment.
The recommendations and suggestions came at the conference on migration and trafficking organised by National Action Forum (NAF), a platform of the NGOs working on the issues and supported by United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.
Participants at the conference observed that many of the human traffickers, agencies and even employers could not be tried because of loopholes in the existing laws and lack of awareness among the job seekers.
The recommendations gathered from 16 presentations at the daylong conference also included adequate training before joining overseas jobs, strict verification of documents regarding jobs, psycho-social treatment to the victims of trafficking and initiatives for proper use of remittances.
Speaking as chief guest at the concluding session, Women and Children Affairs Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury said, “We promote migration of people for overseas jobs, but surely oppose its irregular form because dark side of migration causes irreparable harms to people and society.”
Stating that the remittances sent by the migrant Bangladeshis is the largest sector of foreign exchange, Home Secretary Abdul Karim said adequate measures have not been taken to train the migrant workers.
“Mobility without dignity does not bring good results,” he said, adding that the government is working hard to stop illegal migration.
Speaking as chief guest at the inaugural session, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Abdul Matin Chowdhury said, “We will not be able to protect the overseas job seekers from unscrupulous agencies if we fail to frame a strong legal framework.”
The government is working to strengthen the laws on emigration, he said, adding that expatriates' welfare centers are being set up at the deputy commissioner's offices across the country.
Twenty-six such branches have already been set up to help the job seekers at district level, he noted.
IOM Regional Representative for South Asia Rabab Fatima said while remittance of the migrants is a positive side of migration, rights violation is the negative aspect of it that needs to be addressed.
“Legal and other interventions are important to ensure safe migration,” Fatima added.
NAF Coordinator Sakiul Millat Morshed said Bangladeshi migrant workers are the most efficient in most of the jobs they do, especially in the Middle Eastern countries, but they are paid the lowest salaries.
“We must bargain on the wage issues, otherwise we will fail to benefit from labour migration,” he said.
Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association Executive Director Advocate Salma Ali, migration and anti-trafficking experts Selima Sarwar and Raju Ahmed also spoke at the conference.
Trafficking survivor Sharmin Akter, successful migrant worker Rahima Begum and cheated migrant Shamsunnahar also shared their experiences at the opening ceremony.