Experts and officials from government and non-government platforms suggested that the social costs of migration for left-behind family members be immediately addressed, otherwise the latter will continue being confronted by the issue.
They were speaking at a program at the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (Cirdap) auditorium in Dhaka, where the report, “Social Costs of Migration on Left-Behind Migrant Spouse and Children in Bangladesh,” was unveiled on Wednesday.
Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) prepared the report, interviewing 4,884 people from 1,741 households of 12 districts, funded by Swiss Agency of Development and Cooperation.
Of them, 135 people are left-behind husbands, 1094 left-behind wives, 286 non-migrant husbands, 382 non-migrant wives, 2216 left-behind children, and 771 children of non-migrant households.
Loneliness, additional responsibilities, loss of authority over children, psychosocial and physical stress, societal perception of failure as breadwinner, dissolution of marriage, fear of physical and sexual insecurity about wife, adverse effect on children's education, conflict over decision making, and missing the presence of parents, are among the issues, the report says.
Addressing the event as chief guest, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, M Shahriar Alam, said despite remittance being one of the three major pillars of Bangladesh’s economy, migrant families are not given proper feedback.
“We fail to express our gratitude to the family members of Bangladeshi migrants,” he said.
He insisted on a comprehensive study on the social costs of migration on left-behind family members, to help contain the problems they face in the absence of their migrant family members.
Shahriar said the social acceptance of women working abroad is still a far cry, which needs more work.
Citing that female migrant workers face harassment and are sometimes trafficked by middlemen after being lured with a good job abroad, he said: “All these issues need to be resolved.”
Dr Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, additional secretary of expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry, said families need to be relieved of social stigma.
He attributed the prevalence of social issues, to the collective failure of the government and stakeholders concerned.
Blaming slack coordination between agencies and platforms responsible for the situation, he said social costs will be incorporated in the proposed comprehensive migration action plan.
Israfil Alam, head of the parliamentary caucus on migration and development, echoing a similar sentiment, said female migrant workers face immense social pressure when they return home.
“In many cases, they are abandoned by their own families,” he said.
ActionAid Bangladesh Director Farah Kabir said children of migrant parents are more vulnerable to gender-based violence than the ones whose parents are working in the country.
Underage girls of tmigrant parents are often married off early due to social causes, which ends up destroying their education, she said.
Asif Munier, migration expert of International Labour Organization, said female migrants, who are prone to physical and psychological torture abroad, must have access to cell phones.
RMMRU founding Chairperson Dr Tasneem Siddiqui who led the survey, said the report details the social costs and the challenges faced.
“Most of us are unaware of how to deal with such problems, but the report has some recommendations to address them,” she said.
Societal-negativity adds to the woes, especially for female migrants, she said, adding, the men working abroad are also struck with several social stigmas.
However, women joining the workforce are breaking gender barriers, which is a good sign, Tasneem said.
According to official records, around 12 million Bangladeshis are currently employed abroad.
