Following decade-long discussions on holding middlemen of international migrations accountable, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment is amending the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013 to root out criminal activities in the process.
Dr Nashid Rizwana Monir, deputy secretary to the ministry, disclosed the matter on Wednesday while addressing an event organized by Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU) in Dhaka.
Dr Nashid, who is involved in the process of the amendment, said middlemen are found to be violating rights in most cases of international migration. “This is why we are including them in the legal framework. We are amending the law and including them as sub-agents.”
The middlemen will face legal action if they become involved in illegal activities when the law comes into force, she added.
However, she did not mention the progress of said amendment.
Explaining what the ministry is doing to ensure more decent work for migrants, the deputy secretary said Bangladeshi will shift from the “employee pays model” to the “employer pays principle”.
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Experts have been saying for years that the adoption of the employer pays principle across all industries is essential to combating exploitation, forced labour and trafficking of migrant workers, and represents an important step in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal of decent work for all.
“We have been working to lower the cost of migration for years and the recent research of RMMRU is testament to that,” she said, adding that the ministry wants to bring the cost to zero.
RMMRU Chairperson Prof Tasneem Siddiqui, while presenting the keynote paper, said the cost of migration varies depending on gender, destination and types of visas, adding that the cost has decreased over the years.
Female migration cost effectively went down 20% from 2014 to 2017 and around 18% from 2017 to 2020, she said, while male migration cost went down 5% from 2014 to 2017 and 7% from 2017 to 2020.
Siddiqui said the research was conducted till 2020, which is why the recent increase in travel cost was not included.
Tk500 crore for migrant workers
Speaking at the event as the chief guest, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said the authorities are working on ensuring quick disbursement of the Tk500 crore allocated for migrant workers.
Acknowledging that the disbursement under the “Ghore Fera” (returning home) scheme has been slow, he urged banks to do it as efficiently as possible so that the beneficiaries can thrive.
Meanwhile, Dr Md Habibur Rahman, executive director (research) of Bangladesh Bank, said 10% of the total amount has been allocated for female migrant workers.