BAIRA opposes proposed anti-traffic law
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) has opposed the proposed Anti-Trafficking law saying it would destroy country's manpower export sector, reports UNB.
BAIRA viewed the proposed law was designed and guided by the NGOs just to curb manpower export and nothing else.
BAIRA President Mohammed Abul Bashar has sent a letter to Labour, Employment, and Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Engineer Khandker Mosharraf Hossain opposing the so-called anti-trafficking law.
The copy of the letter was also sent to the Finance, Agriculture, Home, Foreign, Law, Social Welfare Ministers, chairmen of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs.
The BAIRA President said: "If the bill is enacted, manpower export will cease to exist as the draft was designed in such a way that will negate legal migration from our country and all indications point to a subtle design to deprive Bangladesh of this life-line sector of our country."
For example BAIRA cited clause 8(3) of the draft of the bill said that this clause alone, keeping aside other clauses, is enough to choke this sector. The clause, inter alia, provides, "if any migrated worker who is assisted by a person or agency failed to get the desired job abroad, the person who assisted him to go abroad will be given a minimum 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fine as well."
The BAIRA letter said that who decides how an approved recruiting agency is having a pre-knowledge of probable abuse in host country.
"The matter of errant behavior of employers is an issue of governance, an issue that only needs to be addressed by legal wing of our mission abroad by taking the matter with legal institutions of host countries."
In this connection the BAIRA mentioned that there must be a redress mechanism in place. Bangladesh do such mechanism through legal wings in mission, that may only need to be strengthen.
"No businessmen will indulge in this trade with such Damocles Sword hanging over his head," the BAIRA President said.
The letter also mentioned that the proposed act is replete with clauses that are in fact leveled against legal migration, even by distorting and avoiding UN-formulated definitions. Any person by writing a simple complain against recruiting agent can put him behind the bar, pending investigation and proof.
BAIRA viewed the proposed law was designed and guided by the NGOs just to curb manpower export and nothing else.
BAIRA President Mohammed Abul Bashar has sent a letter to Labour, Employment, and Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Engineer Khandker Mosharraf Hossain opposing the so-called anti-trafficking law.
The copy of the letter was also sent to the Finance, Agriculture, Home, Foreign, Law, Social Welfare Ministers, chairmen of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs.
The BAIRA President said: "If the bill is enacted, manpower export will cease to exist as the draft was designed in such a way that will negate legal migration from our country and all indications point to a subtle design to deprive Bangladesh of this life-line sector of our country."
For example BAIRA cited clause 8(3) of the draft of the bill said that this clause alone, keeping aside other clauses, is enough to choke this sector. The clause, inter alia, provides, "if any migrated worker who is assisted by a person or agency failed to get the desired job abroad, the person who assisted him to go abroad will be given a minimum 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fine as well."
The BAIRA letter said that who decides how an approved recruiting agency is having a pre-knowledge of probable abuse in host country.
"The matter of errant behavior of employers is an issue of governance, an issue that only needs to be addressed by legal wing of our mission abroad by taking the matter with legal institutions of host countries."
In this connection the BAIRA mentioned that there must be a redress mechanism in place. Bangladesh do such mechanism through legal wings in mission, that may only need to be strengthen.
"No businessmen will indulge in this trade with such Damocles Sword hanging over his head," the BAIRA President said.
The letter also mentioned that the proposed act is replete with clauses that are in fact leveled against legal migration, even by distorting and avoiding UN-formulated definitions. Any person by writing a simple complain against recruiting agent can put him behind the bar, pending investigation and proof.