Migrant’s life story is never ordinary, state minister at book launch

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has said the story of a migrant’s life “is never an ordinary one” as he unveiled a book collating the miseries of migrant workers.

The Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) has published the book titled “Untold Stories of Migrants: Dreams and Realities’ presenting stories of 150 migrants in a compilation.

The state minister, unveiling the book at a ceremony at Dhaka University, appreciated the effort and said the book has “aptly captured the great achievements of our migrants and at the same time the pains and agonies they and their families endure”.

“Some of the statements of the migrants reflect their true perceptions about migration and their analysis in loss and gain not only by economic indicators but also in social parameters,” he said as he read the book.

“There are narratives cited in the book that depict the successes, vulnerabilities more particularly in women migration.”

Migrant workers have contributed in excess of $32 billion to Bangladesh’s foreign reserves .

“All of us are aware about the sorrows and sufferings of migrants worldwide,” Shahriar said highlighting last year’s incidents.

Only in year 2015, around 4300 undocumented migrants died while crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

“Many of our fellow citizens had similar misfortune while heading towards Thailand, Malaysia or some other European countries in search of a better life,” he said.

Bangladesh is working “hard to facilitate safe, orderly and regular migration worldwide under an effective and coherent governance structure”, he added.

According to the junior minister, the government is “not only negotiating with the host countries to promote and preserve the interests of our migrants but also exploring newer destinations for sending our manpower.”

He said the book would help the migration researchers and the policy makers “to gain important insights on the issue”.