Migrant workers still facing tortures: WARBE report

FE Report

Migrant workers are still facing physical, mental and sexual harassment at their workplaces, said a WARBE report.

It also said many Bangladeshis returned home from Iraq, Sudan and Malaysia in 2014 having been cheated by dishonest recruiting agencies.

The report titled 'Annual Migration Report 2014' was launched on Monday at a consultation on 'Migration and Sustainable Development Goals: A post-2015 Agenda' at the National Press Club in the city.

WARBE Development Foundation conducted the survey.

The report showed that the number of less-skilled migration is increasing compared to semi-skilled, skilled and professionals.

The report also put forth some recommendations including emphasising exploring potential of returnee migrants to achieve national development.

It also gave importance to migrants' rights, safe migration and combating labour trafficking along with implementation of existing laws and ratification of ILO Convention 189.

Migration and development issues were broadly discussed by the speakers at the programme.

They stressed the need for incorporating the migration issue as a separate goal in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) considering its contribution.

Parliament member Nurjahan Begum Mukta was the chief guest at the consultation. She said Bangladesh has a unambiguous position to see the migration issue into the SDGs and they are advocating for this.

Former Bangladesh ambassador to Malaysia Kamal Uddin Ahmed, INAFI Bangladesh Foundation executive director Atiqun Nabi, WARBE chairman Syed Saiful Haque, secretary general Faruque Ahmed and project coordinator Mahmuda Alim, among others, were present at the programme.

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