The government has drafted a reintegration policy to ensure the well-being and security of returned migrant workers.
The proposed policy has incorporated provisions that include establishing a returnee database, setting up one-stop centres, and developing a referral mechanism for employment and other necessary services for the beneficiaries.
Officials familiar with the development said the draft has already been sent to the law ministry recently for vetting. It is expected to be formulated in the next two months.
One of the main objectives of the instrument is to strengthen multi-stakeholder participation for an effective, innovative, and sustainable reintegration of returnee migrants.
Some 0.7-0.8 million Bangladeshis go abroad with employment each year, while a significant number return home for different reasons.
Many of them face challenges like abuse, wage theft, non-payment, and low-payment of salary.
Upon return, they again face various problems of different nature such as economic hardship and social stigma. The struggle of women migrant workers gets another dimension as they are often treated as the weaker section of the society.
The non-government organisations (NGOs) working with migrant workers have reintegration support services for returning migrant workers. However, there is hardly any visible sustainable reintegration support that can help the workers back into normal life.
Dr Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, senior secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment said that this policy aims at sustainable reintegration through coordination with all organisations working with migrant workers.
Women's issues have been prioritised in the policy, he mentioned. "Hopefully, the policy will be formulated within the next two months."
According to the latest draft, one-stop centres at the local level will be established for all migrant workers, including for women and gender-diverse groups.
These centres will help workers to get need-based services through the referral mechanism.
"Reintegration support programmes will be decentralized and linked with One-Stop Centres for migration services and other local level government structures to ensure that all returnees can avail support."
The government will create a returnee migrant database containing the necessary information to bring them under need-based support.
The government will work to give the returnee workers, especially women workers, the recognition they deserve in society. Issues of social security, access to justice, and enhancement of social assistance are also mentioned in the draft policy.
Active Labour Market Measures for reintegration of returnee migrants will be established. Referral mechanisms will be ensured to facilitate returnees' entry into local labour markets through One-Stop Centres.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems and career guidance cells will adopt migrant-friendly approaches and promote returnees' entry into local and international job markets.
Public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives will be promoted, including local employment schemes, on-the-job training, apprenticeship programme, skill development, and technology transfer, the draft also reads.
"A comprehensive need assessment will be undertaken to identify the social security and protection needs of returnees."
To explore emerging labour markets for employment of skilled returnee migrants, capacity will be built in diplomatic missions. Access to low-interest loans and other financial schemes for returnees will be facilitated through Probashi Kallyan Bank and other scheduled banks, the draft shows.
"A comprehensive skills development plan for returnees also will be formulated and implemented jointly with the skills sector."
Aminul Hoque Tushar,labour migration analyst, and adviser at Bangladeshi Ovibashi Mohila Sramik Association (BOMSA) said it is a good initiative because there was no policy on returnee reintegration issue.
"But it should be widely applied," he said, adding that there should be an effort by the government to ensure that it does not remain on paper like many others.
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