It is our duty to end migrants’ suffering: BMET DG

Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) Director General Md Abul Hasanath Humayun Kabir has said strong measures have to be taken to protect migrant workers from various types of exploitation.

"Overseas employment is an important sector. It is the backbone of the nation as expatriate Bangladeshis annually send around 30 billion USD as remittances," the official said while addressing a workshop on ''institutionalising grievance management system'' at the conference room of BMET in the capital on Tuesday.

BMET is a government agency which is dealing with overseas employment and training.

Md Abul Hasanath Humayun said around 1 million migrants go abroad for work. However, a large section of migrants return home after being deceived, he said adding ''it is our duty to get rid of their sufferings."  

BMET and Films 4 Peace jointly organised the workshop. It was attended by government officials, civil society members and migration experts, among others.

BMET director Masud Rana and Films 4 Peace Foundation executive director Pervez Siddiqui separately made two presentations on grievance management mechanism.  

Pervez Siddiqui in his presentation said his organisation has received over 90 migration-related grievances in Cox's Bazar and Nawabganj upazila in Dhaka and they have resolved more than 40 cases through alternative dispute resulation.

Pervez Siddiqui also mention that they have facilitated the recovery of approximately Tk 40,48,000 from sub-agents.

He laid emphasis on institutionalising the grievance management system.
Migration expert Asif Munier, however, pointed out that it also needs to think whether justice is being ensured by the grievance mechanism system.

A deceived migrant merely gets a portion of his money but he has to lose more including social cost, he added.

Former additional secretary Kazi Kalam has said two rules have been formulated to ensure safe migration, but unfortunately those rules have not been implemented.

Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) former secretary general Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman said that less than 10 per cent of migrants are cheated.

Those who give clearance and sign the documents are responsible for cheating of the migrants, he said adding ''we have not been able to introduce a transparent recruitment process''.

Film 4 Peace Foundation chair Sheepa Hafiza stressed the need for institutionalising the grievance management mechanism.