Rising migrant deaths deeply alarming

We are quite distressed by the latest data on the death of our migrant workers. According to the Wage Earners' Welfare Board (WEWB), 4,552 migrant workers returned home as corpses in 2023—the highest such casualty figure in a decade. The steady rise in their number makes us question whether the relevant authorities are paying any attention to this issue.

The WEWB's annual reports reveal that two-thirds of the migrant workers' bodies that returned to Bangladesh between July 2017 and June 2022—17,871 in total—arrived from six Gulf Cooperation Council countries. While the rise in workers migrating abroad may have something to do with the rise in migrant deaths, it cannot be the only, or even a major, reason. For example, a 2022 multi-country study conducted by Vital Signs Partnership (VSP) found that more than 50 percent of these deaths remain "effectively unexplained." We are unable to understand why it is so, especially when most of the workers migrate in prime physical conditions. According to the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), many of the workers who died in the Gulf countries were of young age.

The question is: why are so many of these deaths "unexplained"? Has our government tried to engage with the destination countries to figure out the reasons? Was there any foul play? The VSP study found that migrant workers in the Gulf countries are exposed to not only poor workplace safety practices, but also adverse weather conditions, abusive work environment and psychosocial stress, among other factors. Have our authorities taken these findings into account?

It goes without saying that host countries have the responsibility to ensure the safety of migrant workers, and thus must conduct proper investigation into every death and communicate their findings properly. But the onus also falls on us, partly because many of the problems facing migrants originate here, and partly because the government is duty-bound to protect the workers it is sending abroad. We urge the government to treat these issues with utmost seriousness, and take substantive actions in collaboration with the host countries. Our economy stands on the back of our migrant workers. Their contribution to their communities is also unparalleled. So, not pulling out all the stops to ensure their safety would be an affront to their services.