Kuwaiti ban on recruitment

The reported imposition of ban, again, on recruitment of Bangladesh nationals by Kuwait reminds all concerned of one hard fact; manpower recruitment process is still fraught with irregularities and highhandedness on the part of dishonest recruiters. The last week's fresh ban on recruitment of Bangladesh workers follows the lifting of an earlier one after seven years in 2014. The reimposition of the ban has come in the wake of allegations of 'irregularities and abuses by traffickers in work and residency permits'. Earlier in May 2016 the Gulf country had ordered a ban on recruitment of male domestic help from Bangladesh.

Kuwait is not the only country to impose restriction on recruitment of workers from Bangladesh. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), the second largest destination of Bangladeshi migrant workers in the Middle East, stopped recruiting them for a number of years. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the provider of largest number of jobs to Bangladeshi workers, had also imposed ban; it has only recently started taking manpower from Bangladesh, afresh. Malaysia, another preferred destination of Bangladesh workers has also adopted an 'on-again and off-again' policy as far as recruitment of manpower from Bangladesh is concerned.

There is no denying that issues such as low skill level of workers and economic downturn in the Gulf countries have slowed down recruitment from Bangladesh. But what have caused more damage to manpower recruitment from the country are irregularities and fraudulent practices indulged in by a section of recruiters and their agents. The latter usually net in innocent job-seekers, laying traps meticulously across the country. The victims of their dishonest practices, in most cases, are pressed by circumstances to pay a heavy price, both physical and financial. There are stories galore about the death of many victims in extreme conditions while trying to illegally sneak into some countries of Europe.

The existence of widespread fraudulence in manpower recruitment is no secret. The government, the job-seekers and the manpower recruiting agents are aware of the same. Yet the malpractice, instead of meeting any effective resistance, has continued to spread its wings over the years. Scores of tragic stories of sufferings of the victims of dishonest recruiters remain unknown. However, the victims are largely to blame themselves for their sufferings as they consciously avoid cross-checking of the relevant documents with the appropriate government agencies. Most of them do so largely because of fear of earning wrath of recruiters or manpower agents. A good number of job-seekers, being completely ignorant of the intricacies of recruitment process, remain dependent on the recruiters and get cheated.

But the price being paid on account of 'liberty' that the dishonest recruiters have been enjoying for decades is obviously too high. It is not just that the job-seekers are only suffering. The country is also not spared. It is being deprived of a substantial sum of money, in precious foreign exchange, that could be earned from normal flow of manpower to the Gulf countries. Besides, the ban on recruitment does also cause damage to the country's image and encourage some other employing countries to follow suit. Therefore, the government and the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) do need to initiate tough measures against the dishonest manpower agents and manpower traffickers without any further delay. Remittance is critically important for the economy of a country like Bangladesh. Any notable decline in its inflow for a longer period would only invite deep troubles for it.