Dialogue on Migration Laws and Policies: Access to Justice for Migrants’ and their Families at CIRDAP

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

25 September, 2017

Migrants’ rights campaigners, recruiting agents and government officials have called for taking combined efforts of all of the stakeholders to ensure safe, orderly and dignified migration from Bangladesh. They made the call while speaking at a workshop on “National Plan of Action (NPA) on Migration in the Light of Relevant Laws and Policies” at the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training Conference Room on Sunday. WARBE Development Foundation organized the workshop, which was attended by returnee migrants, their family members, migration researchers, lawyers and representatives from various government and non-government organizations. Speaking as chief guest BMET director general Md Salim Reza said that they were working to make the migration services easier and reach services to the people’s doorsteps through decentralization of different activities. ‘We are committed to protect the migrant workers from getting cheated,’ he said, adding that the national action plans which would be prepared with suggestions of the stakeholders would be implemented to ensure welfare to the migrant workers at home and abroad. Declaring himself as ‘reform-oriented man’ Salim Reza said that he already set vision to turn the BMET into a number one department, improve the training facilities of the technical training centers and also ensure safe migration. BMET director Nurul Islam who moderated the workshop said that the national plan of action must be time bound and all stakeholders must work jointly to solve the problems of the migrant workers. ‘Our main concern is to reduce the migration cost for the outbound workers,’ he said. WARBE development foundation chairman Syed Saiful Haque said that it was urgently necessary to formulate the national plan of action for safe and orderly migration and ensure its proper implementation. ‘The recruiting agencies who are major stakeholders must take their responsibility to ensure migration,’ he said, adding that all concerned should take efforts to help ensure zero cost migration for the workers. INAFI Bangladesh executive director Atiqul Nabi said that a comfortable situation should be created for Bangladesh migrants with ensuring safe, orderly and dignified migration from Bangladesh. Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies ‘ joint secretary general Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman said that due to lack of skills, Bangladeshi migrants were getting lower wages abroad although they were paying the higher cost of migration in comparing cost with other sending countries. Bangladesh Data Management and Research Center’ Chief Executive Officer Aminul Islam Monju said that Bangladeshi migrants in the Middle East countries were facing many problems and they were also paid lower wages than it offered before the departure. WARBE development foundation director Jasiya Khatoon who presented keynote said that there were so many challenges for safe migration governance in the country. Challenges include lack of safe migration information, existence of middlemen, less skill migration, sponsor or kafala system in gulf countries, visa trading, high cost of migration, lack protection measures for migrants, lack of re-integration, lack access to justice and weakness implementing laws, she said.

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.

14 May, 2017

On the eve of International Labor Day-2017, WARBE Development Foundation organized a media dialogue on “Observation and Recommendation of UN Migrant Workers Committee to Protect the Rights of Migrant Workers” at VIP Lounge, National Press Club, Dhaka. Before the media dialogue, WARBE also arranged a Solidarity Human Chain to “Protect Migrant Workers Rights and Dignity” at in front of National Press Club. The dialogue started with the key speech on Observation and Recommendation of UN Migrant Workers Committee to Protect the Rights of Migrant Workers by Ms. Nayela Akter, Programme Officer, HELVETAS Swiss Inter-cooperation Bangladesh and Ms. Jasiya Khatoon, Director, WARBE Development Foundation. After the key notes, Mr. Md. Jabed Ahmed, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MEWOE) said that we have been recommended to publish Bilateral Agreement (BLA) and Memorandum of understanding (MoU) as well as we have committed to reduce Migration Cost 2020 by 3 months. In the panel discussion, Zahid Hossain, UN Human Rights Officer said that State has charter based UP, special rapporteur, UN Charter agreeing a state become member State of UN. It’s good that Bangladesh has gone through 2 rounds of universal periodic review (UPR). Mr. Shakirul Islam, Chairman, Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) stated that the recommendations of the report are the tip of the iceberg. We should analyze in between the other issues so that we can analyze the real problem, otherwise we will end up with conventional discussion. Mr. Shameem Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, Joint Secretary General, Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agency (BAIRA) said that recruiting Agency has been making us accountable and thus it will create transparency and accountability if us. We also believe that we need to reduce the migration cost. Mr. Feroz Manna, President, Reporters for Bangladeshi Migrants (RBM) also said that the migration cost should be reduced. There are modern slavery existing. We claim to uphold rights of migrant workers Masudul Haque, General Secretary of Reporters for Bangladeshi Migrants (RBM) started with the security of Bangladeshi migrant workers is a major challenge. There should be specific care that the demand that has come about the type, security and other aspects of migrants workers. Ms. Sheepa Hafiza, Executive Director, Ain o Salish Kendra also said CSO should be involved with BLA and that is quite crucial and the making the information in public will be very crucial, in this regards SDG Goal covers many aspects of migration. Dr. CR Abrar, Executive Director, Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) also stated that National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) needs to be empowered through giving them independence/autonomy. Transparency of Wage Earner’s Welfare Boarder needs to be explored. Syed Saiful Haque, Chairman of WARBE Development Foundation said that government should take care of the Migrant workers at the country of destination. If code of practice does not comply, Government can compliant to UN Committee. So, this is a unique opportunity that the Government can apply. At the very end of the dialogue, Ms. Roksana Yasmin Suty, Member of Parliament, Member, Parliamentarian Committee of Caucus on Migration & Development gave her respect to all labor around the world. She also focused on the contribution of Bangladesh Government for migrant workers. However, there are still some issues need to be improved hopefully with the help of everyone we could get rid of the problem, because it’s all of our responsibility to careful about the migration issues.