Ensure ‘labour migration thru legal channels to achieve SDGs’

FE Report
Ensuring labour migration through legal channels is needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said on Monday.
The government has been working to prevent human trafficking in the name of labour migration. The related ministries, including home, foreign and Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment (EWOE), are working together to check human trafficking, he also said.
Although the Rohingya issue is a challenge for Bangladesh, the government will be successful to ensure respectful repatriation of those people to their home country, Mr Khan added.
The minister was speaking at the inaugural session of the programme, organised to observe the International Migrants' Day at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the capital.
EWOE Minister Nurul Islam presided over the programme, where a number of senior officials, migrant rights campaigners, returnee migrant workers, among others, were present.
On the sidelines of the event EWOE ministry and Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) organised a shadow parliament on the subject - 'Safe Migration is Possible through Increasing Awareness'.
EWOE secretary Namita Halder was the chief guest at the debate. She said due to lack of awareness the outbound Bangladeshi workers are being cheated by middlemen.
The debate was moderated by Debate for Democracy chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron. He said despite various positive initiatives of the government, the workers are still facing hurdles in their migration.
BOESL managing director Maran Kumar Chakraborty urged all the stakeholders to step forward for ensuring safe and orderly migration.
A total of 60 stalls of the government agencies concerned, NGOs, banks, development partners and recruiting agencies were set up in the fair.
A colourful rally was also brought out from South Plaza of the National Parliament to observe the day.
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