City Desk :
The pandemic of Covid-19 posed a serious threat to migrant workers all over the world. Migrant workers from Bangladesh, for example, were among the worst hit. The pandemic created a two-sided challenge: one for workers who had to return from various nations fearful of not being able to find work in the near future, and another for workers who became stranded abroad with little to no protection or rights.
The Department of Law of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) has organized a webinar on the plights of returnee migrant workers of Bangladesh through the lens of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s political philosophy on 23 August 2021.
The webinar began with the welcome speech of the Chairman of the Department of Law, Bangladesh University of Professionals Lt Col Siraj Uddin Ahmed, psc (Retd). Dr. Rumana Islam, Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Dhaka and Panel Arbitrator & Conciliator nominated by the Bangladesh Govern-ment to ICSID presented the keynote paper on the title “Pandemic and Plights of the Returnee Migrant Workers of Bangladesh: Bangabandhu’s Vision, Achievement and Way Forward”. She proposed to form a universal and national social protection system which can combat the immediate crisis as well as the long-term ones. She also suggested that agriculture sector can be an option for reintegration of the returnees in Bangladesh.
Md. Shahidul Islam, Director General, Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) as a member of the panel informed that the government is taking measures to support the returnee migrant workers and devising TTC with an eye to the future. He asked BUP to engage with them through research fellowships.
Professor Dr Tasneem Siddiqui, Department of Political Science, University of Dhaka and the Founding Chair of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), another distinguished panelist raised concerns to provide the returnee migrant workers’ economic and psychological support.
Brigadier General A S M Anisul Haque, SGP, BGBM, PBGM, ndc, psc, Dean, Faculty of Security & Strategic Studies, Bangladesh University of Professionals moderated the entire session.
Imran Ahmed, MP, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh graced the occasion as the Chief Guest of the Webinar.
He said that in protecting the rights of the marginalized communities, including the migrant workers, we need to keep Bangabandhu’s ideals of human rights and fundamental freedom in context. For it is in the high ideals that the Father of the Nation had, through which, we can march forward- towards a just tomorrow free from oppression and exploitation. He said that all we do is influenced single handedly by Bangabandhu’s philosophy.
Vice Chancellor, Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) Major General Md Moshfequr Rahman, SGP, SUP, ndc, psc was present as the special guest while Professor M Abul Kashem Mozumder, PhD, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Bangladesh University of Professionals was the Guest of Honor in the event.
