Consultation on “Ratification of ILO Convention 189 for the Protection of Women Domestic Worker”

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.

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.

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.

21 May, 2017

Launching of “Training of Trainers” (ToT) on “Remittance Transfer in Legal Process and its Effective Utilization” organized by WARBE Development Foundation held on 18th May, 2017 at YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association). The inauguration program began with the welcome speech of Syed Mohammad Kamal, Country Manager, Bangladesh, MasterCard. As Remittances represent the largest source of foreign currency earnings, the remittance flow in Bangladesh has grown not only in size but also in importance in terms of as a share of gross domestic product (GDP). Mr. Jabed Ahmed, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, in his speech spoke on the contribution and initiative of the government for the migrant workers. Now our migrant workers can easily spend their remittance in any bank account, since MasterCard recently took a new project to facilitate the whole transaction process. As Chief guest, Md. Israfil Alam, Honorable Member of Parliament and chairperson of Parliamentarian Caucus on Migration & Development started with the official recorded remittances which are much lower than the actual remittances that take place through official and unofficial channels of remittances are coming through different ways like friends, relatives and hundi system. Our grass root workers should be concerned about the forms of payment, because any forms of payment should be documented. Jasiya Khatoon, Director, WARBE Development Foundation took a session on “Remittance and its Proper Utilization”. Like many other developing countries Bangladeshi migrant workers have been contributing to employment, economic growth, poverty alleviation, and social development in Bangladesh. Md. Faruque Ahmed, Secretary General of WARBE Development Foundation described the importance to reduce the migration cost in his whole session. High migration cost also put a pressure to our migrant workers to income more money. Syed Saiful Haque, Chairman, WARBE Development Foundation demonstrated the facilities of sending remittance in legal ways. Compared to formal channels, the hundi system is not only less expensive but also more and easily accessible, so Bangladeshi migrant workers should not be tempted by the better rate of hundi, rather they should find out a proper investment idea for their livelihood. Md. Nurul Islam, Director of BMET at the end of the program showed some graphical statistics on remittance. He also mentioned that these large inflows of remittances are having numerous economic and development effects for Bangladesh.

02 April, 2017

A seven- member parliamentary Caucus on migration and development was launched on 31st March, 2017 at Park Town Restaurant. The parliamentarian Caucus on Migration and Development has been formed in a joint collaboration with British Council and WARBE Development Foundation. In the launching program, Honorable Deputy Speaker of Bangladesh National Parliament, Mr. Fazle Rabbi Miah graced the occasion as Chief Guest and formally inaugurated the caucus. Honorable Chief Guest, Deputy Speaker, Mr Fazle Rabbi Miah, shared some of his experiences of being the head of the Bangladesh Delegation team of IPU (Inter Parliamentarian Union) Assembly. Mr. Israfil Alam, Chairman of parliamentarian Caucus on Migration and Development, made the declaration as a chairperson of the Caucus as well as read the proclamation. He talked about the main objectives and activities of the parliamentary Caucus. The parliamentary Caucus will act as a focal group the parliament members who will work in an advocate framework to ensure rights of migrant workers. The goals of the Caucus include working for the development of legal framework and migrant friendly deal in national, regional and international arenas. The Caucus will inspect the workplaces of workers abroad and draw attention of respective parliament members to provide necessary assistance to them, he also said. Roksana Yesmin Suty, MP, Adv. Hosne Ara Lutfa Dalia, MP, Talukdar Md Yunus, MP, Nurjahan Begum, MP, Jabed Ahmed, Additional Secretary of MOEWOE were also presented. Representatives from different NGO’s, BAIRA, trade union and media attended the program. Jabed Ahmed, Additional Secretary of the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment ministry said although Bangladesh has ratified the ILO Convention 1990, destination countries are yet to ratify it. Syed Saiful Haque, chairman of WARBE Development Foundation, said the migration sector doesn’t get necessary allocation in the national budget. He also stressed the need for ratification of the international treaties on migration and lowering the cost of migration at a zero level.