Call for common voice for rights of labour migrants

Migrants from South Asian countries, including Bangladesh, continue to face various types of abuse and exploitation in receiving countries, experts told a seminar on Tuesday.
A regional coordinated effort is required to understand the challenges and raise a common voice to establish the rights of labour migrants, according to them.
They also suggested policy reforms, skills development, setting minimum wage and payment mechanism ahead of sending workers abroad to ensure better placements.
The observations were made at a regional seminar styled 'Labour Migrants from South Asia: Issues and Concerns' hosted by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in Dhaka city.
The event was organised in collaboration with the Consortium of South Asian Think Tanks (COSATT) and Political Dialogue Asia Programme, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS).
Dr Mashiur Rahman, economic affairs adviser to the PM, attended the event as the chief guest, while additional secretary to expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry Khairul Alam was the special guest.
BIISS chairman Ambassador AFM Gousal Azam Sarker presided over the inaugural session.
BIISS director general Maj Gen Md Abu Bakar Siddique Khan, COSATT convener Dr Nishchal N Pandey, and Political Dialogue Asia, KAS, Singapore, regional programme director Andreas Klein, among others, spoke.
Dr Mashiur spoke about the contribution of labour migrants to the South Asian economy and highlighted Bangladesh's enthusiasm for working together with other countries.
He underscored the need for skills development, upskilling and understanding the demand in targeted countries.
The skills required for Middle-Eastern countries include the use of hi-tech machinery and digital technologies for infrastructure management unlike mere construction work, according to the adviser.
Mr Sarker said the recent outlook in migration seemed to be complicated with issues like worldwide xenophobia, racism, nativist narrative and geo-economic fragmentation.
Another gravely disturbing phenomenon regarding labour migration comes from illegal migrants, workers and non-workers alike, according to him.
The BIISS chief says migrants often face difficulties in both their home and destination countries because of human traffickers and abusive employers.
"The south Asian country may come forward to enforce a global compact and raise a common voice to establish the rights of migrant workers," he adds.
BIISS DG Siddique says the issue of labour migration from South Asian nations is not merely a figure or trend; rather it indicates hopes, dreams and struggles of millions of individuals who seek livelihoods far away from their homes.
"Millions of people from South Asian countries, including Bangladesh, are compelled to migrate to other countries in search of better opportunities due to difficulty and socio-economic factors in their own countries."
One of the primary concerns faced by labour migration of South Asia is the issue of exploitation and abuse, said Mr Siddique.
He suggested undertaking a multifaceted approach that should encompass policy reforms, legal empowerment, social protection and cross-border cooperation.
Other distinguished speakers cited multiple emerging challenges of labour migration from South Asia and urged all actors to work to secure migrants' rights.
The conference was divided into two working sessions, with the first focusing on 'Labour Migrants from South Asia: Contemporary Challenges".
The session was chaired by Prof Dr Tasneem Siddiqui, chairperson, Department of Political Science, at Dhaka University.
The second session concentrated on 'Addressing Challenges: Regional Cooperation and Partnerships', chaired by Megha Sarmah, programme manager, 2030 Agenda, KAS, Singapore.

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