BANGLADESH on Tuesday observed International Migrants Day when the country itself is experiencing bitter taste of slow remittance due to drastic fall in overseas job opportunities for workers and increasing migration cost. On the theme Dignity and Justice are Migrants’ Rights, the day was observed at a time when migrants face harassment, cheating and abuse before and after leaving the home country. A good number of female workers return home from Middle Eastern countries frequently as victims of abuse. To overcome the growing complexities, it needs market diversification and strong diplomatic initiatives.
About 7.12 lakh workers were migrated from Bangladesh in 2018, compared to over 10 lakh in 2017. Changes in global leadership, recession, destined countries adopting policies reserving jobs for their citizens and quick automation influenced by the 4th industrial revolution has reduced overseas job opportunities for Bangladeshis. We know the migrant aspirants sell their valuables, including lands and homestead, for making fortune as the government failed to translate the economic growth into employment generation. As per news media, the Ministry concerned has no plan for immediate reintegration of the returnee migrants, especially the female domestic workers who are returning home from the KSA as victims of sexual abuse, torture and without getting arrear wages.
Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi workers have to pay the highest migration cost to middlemen. The government has taken steps to send workers to Japan and South Korea at zero migration costs and looking for new destinations in Central Asia, Africa and Europe. Happily, Global Compact for Migration adopted in Marrakesh is expected to be adopted by the UN very shortly. We hope, proper implementation of the GCM would reduce problems faced by Bangladeshi migrants in foreign soil, particularly the female workers.
The government must adopt comprehensive labour policies focusing safe migration, market-oriented education and training, job reservation for citizens, university-industry affiliation, and encourage entrepreneurship development and private investment to beat the wave of automation in the industry.
