Parliamentarian's caucus on migration and development reconstituted

A group of Bangladeshi Members of Parliament met in Dhaka on Thursday to restart the Parliamentarian's Caucus on Migration and Development.

The main goal of this group is to work together to make migration safer and to protect the rights of migrant workers, says a press release.

The meeting was organized by the WARBE Development Foundation, which serves as the support team for the group. This organization helps the lawmakers talk about policies, look at facts, and work with different groups to improve how migration is handled.

The meeting started with a presentation by Jasiya Khatoon, the Director of WARBE, who explained the history and future goals of the parliamentary group.

She talked about how the group aims to bring together many different people, including community organisations, trade unions, private businesses, United Nations Agencies, and Government Departments.

They also want to connect with overseas communities, recruiting agencies, the media, and migrant workers and their families to make migration safer for everyone.

The discussion was led by Syed Saiful Haque, the Chairman of WARBE.

During the talk, the Members of Parliament shared serious concerns about the challenges that Bangladeshi migrant workers face.

They spoke about dishonest recruiting agencies, the high cost of moving abroad, and how workers' rights are often violated.

They also discussed dangerous issues like human smuggling on sea routes, people getting tricked by fake tourist visas, and workers living without legal documents.

The lawmakers shared stories from their own local areas and stated that the country needs better national coordination, more public awareness, and simpler ways for people in rural areas to report problems and get help.

They also emphasised that the government needs to quickly pass and enforce important rules regarding recruiting agencies and sub-agents.

The lawmakers said they want to learn more about these migration issues so they can speak up effectively during parliament debates and policy planning.

In response, WARBE promised to keep providing them with the information and technical support they need to make good decisions based on real facts.

At the end of the meeting, the group chose a new executive eommittee to lead their upcoming work.

ABM Mosharraf Hossain, MP was selected as the Chairperson, Mashiur Rahman Khan, MP as the Vice Chairperson, and Mahmuda Habiba, MP as the Secretary General.

The other committee members are lawmakers Md Hasan Rajib Prodhan MP, Nayab Yusuf Ahmed MP, Bilkis Islam MP, Syed Jahangir Alam MP, Sadique Reaz MP, and Nadia Pathan Papon MP.

The newly formed committee promised to work as a team to protect the well-being of migrant workers and ensure they can travel and work with safety and dignity.