Workshop on National Plan of Action (NPA) on Migration in the Light of Relevant Laws and Policies and Inauguration of Grievance Receiving Center at BMET

11 December, 2017

Due to lack of implementation of migration laws, Bangladeshi migrant workers are frequently getting harassed and cheated by the middlemen at start-up stage of their overseas migration at home, experts said on Sunday.Speaking at a consultation, labour leaders, migrant rights campaigners, civil society members and returned migrants called for strict proper implementation of the laws of the land to punish the middlemen and ensure safe labour migration. On occasion of International Human Rights Day, WARBE Development Foundation organized the consultation on ‘Human Rights Violation of Bangladeshi Migrants and Their Protection’ at National Press Club. Lawmaker and member of the Parliamentarian Caucus of Migration and Development Roksana Yasmin Suty, speaking as chief guest, said that the government would take action if true and specific allegations were lodged with government. The lawmaker, however, stressed for creating mass awareness to keep the migration cost at lower level and control the race of middlemen. Trade Union labour leader Abul Hossain said that as the migration was one of the fundamental rights of the people and they should be given the rights of safe movement although the real situation was opposite. Abu Hossain also said that effective implementation of laws were needed to ensure safe labour migration from the country. Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program executive director Omar Faruque Chowdhury said that the government must be proactive to protect the rights of Bangladeshi migrant workers as they were sending hard earned remittances. He alleged that the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013 actually protected the rights of middlemen not the migrant workers. Manusher Jonno Foundation’s programme manager Sarowat Binte Islam said that it was very to mention that the rights of the female migrants were being violated as they were cheated at home and were also abused at the destination countries. WARBE Development Foundation secretary general Faruque Ahmed said that Bangladesh mission should ensure that the sexually abused female migrants were getting their justice at the country of destinations. At the Arab countries implementation of law was very strict and Bangladeshi victims would get compensations if legal process was taken there, he observed. Bangladesh Ovibashi Adhikar Forum chairman Nazmul Ahsan said that migrant workers were not getting their minimum rights as their problems started at home, they faced problems in destinations and after returning home, WARBE Development Foundation director Jasiya Khatoon who presented keynote said that over one crore migrant workers from Bangladesh were working in 162 countries. Many of them have migrated with help of middlemen paying high cost for migration, she said. She called for protection of the rights of the country’s migrant workers at home and abroad. Returned migrants Rehana Begum, Soma, Kamala and Rafiqul Islam shared their bad and good experiences of migration at the consultation

22 October, 2017

The introductory dialogue between the Parliamentarians Caucus on Migration and Development and the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies on Safe, Orderly, Regular Migration was held at the BAIRA conference room on Wednesday. Chairman of Parliamentarians Caucus on Migration and Development Israfil Alam MP who spoke at the dialogue as the chief guest urged the BAIRA leaders to keep the list of 1,400 members posted on its website with performance records so that the migrant workers, the main target groups, could choose better recruiting agencies to get services for migration. Israfil Alam requested all of the registered recruiting agencies to provide ID cards to their sub-agents under specific codes of conducts. ‘I think that such system can protect migrant workers from exploitation of the middlemen and help upholding reputation of the recruiting agencies,’ he said. Members of the Parliamentarians Caucus on Migration and Development and lawmakers Hosne Ara Lutfa Dalia MP, Altaf Ali MP and Suhrab Uddin MP were also present at the introductory dialogue with BAIRA. BAIRA resident Benjir Ahmed, who presided over meeting, said that the recruiting agencies having licenses from the government could never traffic workers so they should not be harassed by law enforcing agencies. Benjir Ahmed, a former MP, urged the government to select Commercially Important Persons (CIP) from the BAIRA members considering their contribution to the national economy. BAIRA secretary general Ruhul Amin requested the government to cancel the system of attestation of job visas by the labour attaches saying that the system was backdated and computerized digital system could now check the authenticity of the job visas. WARBE development Foundation chairman Syed Saiful Haque lauded the significant role of recruiting agencies which sent more than one crore workers abroad. He urged the BAIRA leaders to come up with positive attitudes and play due role in ensuring safe, orderly and regular migration from Bangladesh. WARBE Development Foundation secretary general Faruque Ahmed and BAIRA joint secretary general Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, representatives of British Council’ PROKAS programme Tanvir Mahmud and Saleha Khatun among other leaders were present at the dialogue.

12 October, 2017

Lawmakers, migrant rights activists and recruiting agents on Monday called upon the labour recipient countries and the international community for taking measures to ensure ‘protections and rights’ of migrant workers. They also called for ensuring the migrant workers leading dignified life as human beings as they were contributing to development activities.. They made their urges at the multisectoral national consultation on Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, organized by Parliamentarians Caucus on Migration and Development, at the CIRDAP auditorium in the city. Chairman of the Parliamentarians Caucus on Migration and Development Md Israfil Alam presided over the consultation which was addressed by lawmaker Hosene Ara Lutfa Dalia and top representatives from government, non-government and international organizations. Speaking as chief guest, foreign secretary Shahidul Haque said that the migration has become a highly political issue in the globe and rights of migrants were being violated in the ways of migration and at the workplace in the countries of destinations. ‘As migrants are human being, so their rights should be protected,’ he said. Shahidul Haque said that punitive measures against right violators should be taken in the global compact to be adopted by the UN for safe, orderly and regular migration. Lawmaker Israfil Alam said that Bangladesh government along with the civil society members has raised the migrants’ issues in the United Nations seeking help of the international community to ensure the migrant workers at the destination countries. ‘As our migrants are suffering many problems abroad, so we have to raise the voices first,’ he said. WARBE Development Foundation chairman Syed Saiful Haque who presented the draft recommendations for safe, orderly and regular migration said that the migrant workers should be sent abroad to work abroad under the bilateral agreements not on the basis of memorandum of understandings to ensure protection of their rights at destination countries. He said that polices to be formulated in light of the global compact should have to be implemented properly with strict monitoring in Bangladesh to protect rights of migrants at home. Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program chairman Shakirul Islam said that Bangladesh government should take diplomatic measures to convince the European countries not to send back the undocumented Bangladeshi migrants. He called the global leaders not consider migrants as security threat as they were contributing to the economic development with their labours and skills. Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) joint secretary general Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman said that Bangladesh has become the largest labour outsourcing country in the world. ‘The trend will continue in the next 10 years. So it is the time for Bangladesh to turn the huge population into skilled manpower with providing communicative proficiency to lead in the global labour market,’ he said. Sarwar Binte Islam of Manusher Jonno Foundation said Bangladesh as sending country should take necessary policy to use the opportunities of manpower dividend. Binoy Krishna Mallick. Executive Director of Rights Jessore said that the skilled workers should be sent abroad to reduce problems of migrants in the countries of origins and destinations. He also called for taking measures to ensure migrants leading dignified life. Films4Peace Foundation chairman Pervez Siddiqui, team leader of British Council PROKAS programme Catherine Cecil, National programme officer at International Labour Organizations Ruhnuma Salam Khan and executive committee member of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit SN Azad also spoke at the meeting. Share This Post, Choose Your Platform! FacebookTwitterLinkedinTumblrGoogle+Pinterest

12 September, 2017

Speaking as a presenter on Migration Scenario of Bangladesh, WARBE Development Foundation Director Ms. Jasiya Khatoon discussed push factors and pull factors of migration context in Bangladesh. “More than 10 million Bangladeshi migrants are working in 162 countries, but in terms of their contribution in the economy of Bangladesh they didn’t get any facilities,” she said. She also addressed that, like many other developing countries our migrant workers and remittances have been contributing to employment, economic growth, poverty alleviation, and social development in Bangladesh which is almost US $162.166 billion from 1976 to 2016. Besides, she also described the activities of WARBE Development Foundation in grassroots level, national level and international level. Interview of Victims: Victims also participate to share their story in destination country. Farida (Lebanon): It’s almost six months she came back from Lebanon, after the brutal torture of her employer. She went as a household worker but they kept her busy with daily household work. Except fruits she didn’t get any food. Shanaz (Lebanon): Shanaz stayed almost one year in Lebanon. She went Lebanon with her sister as household worker. Her sister was stayed near her workplace in the same city. However, the pressure of her work was not so bad. Sometimes she had to endure the food problems. She was happy in her workplace family but she returned because of the sickness of her sister. Secretary general Md. Faruque Ahmed said that the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families 1990 came into force in June 2005, but is yet to ratify it. So it won’t fruitful until the receiving countries ratify it. Mr. Ahmed also thinks that due to the binding of some restriction, receiving countries are delaying it to ratify. We need to stick together and create more awareness in the rural areas, because still they have information gap about safe migration. He also mentioned that, WARBE Development Foundation is receiving a huge number of cases of the horrific abuse and torture faced by Bangladeshi female workers in abroad. Despite our migrant workers are still participating in the labor force and bringing in huge amount of remittance. Whereas counties such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Indonesia, Philippines denounced abuse faced by their workers abroad and have taken steps to protect their rights. According to Law of the migrant workers 2013, he said that If Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) & our Government could work together then the laws wouldn’t necessary. So it is important to work together among government, BAIRA and other stakeholders. Finally he emphasized on a shelter house (dormitory) for female migrant worker. So they could return to the dormitory from their workplace. Mr. Abdullah Al Hasan, Country Director of Lawyers beyond Borders Bangladesh said that Over the years, there have been ample of complaints of our migrant workers facing abuse and exploitation by their employers especially in the Middle East. They are treated like slaves in there. Most country-of-origin embassies in the Middle East provide shelter to domestic workers who are abusing by their employers, but Bangladeshi embassies only offer shelter in some countries. Bangladesh should ensure its embassies to provide shelter for our migrant workers. Due to the lack of primary education, Bangladeshi migrant workers don’t have adequate knowledge what is written in their contract papers, as a result they don’t even know where to compliant. It is important to develop a legal aid center in destination countries, so that they can submit their complain fearlessly. Our TTC can provide them basic knowledge regarding the legal aid center before their departure. Md. Nazmul Ahsan, Chairman, Bangladesh Ovibashi Adhikar Forum (BOAF) said for those living in remote areas, the main obstacles are information gap before their migration. Indeed, besides the fact that information sources on migration may be scarce in rural areas, rural people, face increased difficulties in accessing reliable information on legal and safe migration channels. The activities of our District Employment & Manpower (DEMO) office are still obscure for them. Our lawyers should develop an idea to provide this basic information in rural areas. Md. Atiqun Nabi, Executive Director, INAFI Bangladesh mentioned the main reason for migration because everyone wants to live a happily and joyful life, but unfortunately the scenario is totally opposite in real life. Due to lack of some basic information, they suffer for it in their workplace. In that moment, they even could not return in their countries. Bangladesh government didn’t able to ensure better workplace in destination countries. Even our ministry can play an important role to ensure good governance. Open Discussion: In the open discussion session, lawyers and other representative

18 June, 2017

Lawyers, rights campaigners and officials on Saturday stressed need for proper implementation of overseas employment and migration act and other relevant laws to protect the migrants and their families from abuses and harassment at home and abroad. Speaking at a dialogue, they said that migrant workers had little access to justice due to lack of awareness and implementation of the relevant laws as well as lack of bilateral agreements with the labour recipient countries. The thousands of middlemen who were involved in recruitment process harassed migrant workers, they said while speaking at a dialogue on ‘Access to justice for migrants and their family members’ at CIRDAP auditorium. WARBE development foundation and Lawyers beyond Borders’ Bangladesh jointly organized the dialogue. Speaking as Chief Guest, Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry’s Secretary in charge Jabed Ahmed said that ‘culture of impunity’ for migrant workers took place both at home and destination countries. ‘Many of the victimized migrant workers are unaware about laws and they often feel discouraged to file cases fearing the hassles in legal process,’ he said. Jabed Ahmed, however, said that the government was committed to take protection measures to ensure justice to the migrant workers. WARBE Foundation Chairman Syed Saiful Haque demanded ensuring migrant workers to have access to complaints before getting access to justice as there were no clear complaint centers or relevant information. ‘If migrants get problems to have access to justice, where can their family members who belong to them get the justice,’ he questioned. WARBE Development Foundation Secretary General Faruque Ahmed said that female migrant workers were being abused at home and destination countries as they were recruited by outsourcing method of recruiting agencies. He urged the government to set up dormitories for the domestic workers in destination countries as a protection measure from sexual abuses. Faruque Ahmed, a returned migrant, appealed to the government to send migrant workers only from the governments’ database to slash involvement of middlemen. Joint Secretary Kazi Abul Kalam, also former labour attaché, presented the keynote on Overseas Employment and Migration Act 2013 and Policy 2016 while WARBE Development Foundation Director Jasiya Khatoon made the welcome address at the dialogue. International Labour Organization’s National Programme Officer Rahnuma Salam Khan said that migrant workers could be brought under purview legal protection in destination countries by involving the legal institutes there. Country coordinator of Lawyers beyond Borders Bangladesh Abdullah Al Hasan said that proper implementation of the relevant laws should be ensured to protect the victim migrants. He emphasized on proper collaboration of information, fact and evidence from countries of origins to destinations to get justice for migrants. Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training Director Dr. Nurul Islam who presided over the dialogue said that domestic workers were facing overload of workers in the Middle East countries where working hours were not counted. Those issues would be discussed at the joint working group meeting, he assured. Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program Executive Director Omar Faruq Chowdhury demanded the immediate implementation of the overseas employment act which has been enacted four years ago.

18 June, 2017

To promote & protection of domestic workers rights and dignity, recognition of domestic workers as workers, WARBE Development Foundation, has organized a Consultation on “Ratification of ILO Convention 189 for the protection of Women Domestic Worker’’, on the occasion of International Domestic Workers Day at the VIP Lounge, National Press Club. In the consultation Advocate Hosne Ara Lutfa Dalia, MP& Member of Parliamentarian Caucus on Migration and Development was the chief guest. Representatives from different NGOs working on Migrants’ rights, trade union, returnee migrant domestic workers, journalists were also presented on the consultation.Presiding over the consultation, Syed Saiful Haque, Chairman, WARBE Development Foundation said that there were few number of female migrant used to migrate abroad five year ago but now number of female migration increased sharply. Ms. Jasiya Khatoon, Director, WARBE Development Foundation, on her key speech shared the emergence of ILO Convention 189. She also said that government should not allow domestic workers abroad without ensuring safe workplaces, fair wages. Lawmaker and Member of parliamentarian caucus on migration and development, Hosne Ara Lutfa Dalai, MP spoke as chief guest and said that the government is trying to empower the country’ women by providing free education for girls till 12thclass. The government should not allow migration of domestic workers without ensuring their safe workplaces and fair wages at the destination countries, said rights campaigners and returnee workers. Female migrants who were employed as domestic workers were physical and mental tortures, sexual abuse, and denial of wages and overload of works abroad, they said. They urged the government of Bangladesh as well as the destination countries to ratify the convention 189 of International Labour Organization for protection of women domestic workers at home and abroad. Syed Saiful Haque said that KSA recruited female workers from Bangladesh under a memorandum of understanding which was not internationally standard, so the workers were put in the slavery. As Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka have stopped sending their women to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries because of various problems and abuses, so Arab recruiters become highly interested to hire Bangladeshi female workers, he said. Faruque Ahmed, Secretary General, WARBE Development Foundation, said that about 22 Bangladeshi female migrant workers were killed mercilessly or committed suicide while working abroad with a year. He said that Bangladeshi domestic workers were victims abroad and such incidents were tarnishing image of personally female workers as well as the country. Faruque, also a returnee migrant, demanded that Bangladesh government should not send more workers abroad without taking protection measures. He also called for realization of proper compensation of the victim female workers. Sarowat Binte Islam, Program Manager, Manusher Jonno Foundation said that Bangladeshi female workers were resultant to go to work in Saudi Arabia fearing tortures and abuses from the media and they also showed little interest in the government registration. ‘But the brokers started recruiting them by alluring overseas jobs; she said. Calling the government to ratify the ILO convention 189, Sarowat said that the government should not send female workers abroad without ensuring safe workplace and fair wages abroad. Murshida Akter, General Secretary, National Domestic Women Workers’ Union said that no visible implementation of the domestic worker protection and welfare policy had been observed though the government approved the policy two years back. She said that formulation of a monitoring cell followed by the policy was remained futile so far. Manju, a returnee migrant domesticworker from KSA, said that she had suffered physical tortures by her employer during her job in KSA lasted for two months. Another migrant Manika Begum said that she returned from Oman within four month of migration due to tortures by employers.