Migrant workers should not be cheated, says Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the authorities to monitor the migration process to ensure that Bangladeshi workers are not exploited when they move abroad.

“We should ensure that people are not cheated. Wherever our citizens go for work, we should monitor the process properly,” she said.

Hasina made the call at a meeting of the National Steering Committee on Migration on Sunday.

She highlighted the contribution of the expatriate workers to the national economy in the form of remittances. “It is natural for people to want to go abroad. But we should ensure that they don't lose everything when they choose to work abroad. They are our people. It is our duty to look after them.”

More than 10 million Bangladeshi nationals live in different countries around the globe and their remittances make up 12 percent of the country's GDP.

The prime minister pointed to irregularities such as middlemen ensnaring people to grab large sums of money from them with the promise of securing a better livelihood overseas.

“Some middlemen roam around the rural areas and trap people with the lure of working abroad. Then they do not keep contact with them. When the families press them to know about the migrant, they ask for money again,” she said.

“Many of our women go abroad for work without any proper training before leaving the country. Therefore, they fail to perform well. Also, they are tortured at their workplace,”  said Sheikh Hasina.

The prime minister highlighted the government’s initiatives to curb the irregularities.

“We have introduced the smart card and telephone services, especially for women to report irregularities. We are keeping track of them.  The government has established 5,275 digital centres for those willing to migrate abroad for work. They can register in the centres and go abroad,” she said.

Despite all these measures taken by the government, many Bangladeshis “fall prey to middlemen and suffer”, Hasina said. She recalled the recent incident of Bangladeshis dying in the boat capsize at the Mediterranean Sea.

The prime  minister stressed the need for creating awareness among people on the issue,  so that people are not deceived when moving abroad.

“We should make them understand not to opt for going abroad through illegal avenues,”  she said.

She also highlighted the need for enhancing the skill of the youth in the country. “We have a large active young generation in our country. They are a resource for us. We have to increase their skills through training.”

“We won’t send only labourers anymore but try to export skilled manpower. Both the person and the country will benefit from it.”