Legal experts, welfare officers to support workers abroad
Thursday, 15 November 2007
FE Report
Speakers at a workshop Wednesday underscored the need for providing adequate information on recruitment process for overseas jobs for Bangladeshis to check deception and exploitation by recruiters and foreign employers.
They also urged the government to ensure better service at the country's foreign mission and legal support to the Bangladeshi workers in different countries, and break the nexus between some dishonest government officials and local recruiting agencies, who allegedly exploit the job seekers.
They were speaking at a workshop on "Enhancing social protection of Bangladeshi migrants" at a city hotel Wednesday.
The World Bank (WB) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) jointly organised the two-day workshop.
Migration experts, researchers, representatives from some non-government organisations (NGOs) and government agencies and a number of migrant workers were present on the occasion.
Putting emphasis on ensuring social protection to the migrants, WB Education Specialist Mark LaPrairie said the Bangladeshi migrants are facing harassment both at home and abroad due to lack of proper orientation before, and after, their migration.
"For the sake of the country's economic benefits as well as protecting the human rights of the expatriate workers, the authorities concerned should frame necessary policy and offer legal supports to the migrants," he said.
Admitting poor social protection, abuse and exploitation in the process of recruitment of workers, a deputy secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment said: "Lack of information and proper orientation relating to employment is responsible for putting the workers in difficulties at the work places abroad."
For the destination countries, this government has decided to engage competent legal experts and welfare officers to give support to workers and monitor their welfare, he added.
According to the ministry of foreign affairs, about 5.0 million Bangladeshis were employed abroad until October this year.
Some 0.382 million workers went abroad in 2006. In the first 10 months of 2007, about 0.66 million workers took employment in different countries, the foreign ministry sources said.
Speakers at a workshop Wednesday underscored the need for providing adequate information on recruitment process for overseas jobs for Bangladeshis to check deception and exploitation by recruiters and foreign employers.
They also urged the government to ensure better service at the country's foreign mission and legal support to the Bangladeshi workers in different countries, and break the nexus between some dishonest government officials and local recruiting agencies, who allegedly exploit the job seekers.
They were speaking at a workshop on "Enhancing social protection of Bangladeshi migrants" at a city hotel Wednesday.
The World Bank (WB) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) jointly organised the two-day workshop.
Migration experts, researchers, representatives from some non-government organisations (NGOs) and government agencies and a number of migrant workers were present on the occasion.
Putting emphasis on ensuring social protection to the migrants, WB Education Specialist Mark LaPrairie said the Bangladeshi migrants are facing harassment both at home and abroad due to lack of proper orientation before, and after, their migration.
"For the sake of the country's economic benefits as well as protecting the human rights of the expatriate workers, the authorities concerned should frame necessary policy and offer legal supports to the migrants," he said.
Admitting poor social protection, abuse and exploitation in the process of recruitment of workers, a deputy secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment said: "Lack of information and proper orientation relating to employment is responsible for putting the workers in difficulties at the work places abroad."
For the destination countries, this government has decided to engage competent legal experts and welfare officers to give support to workers and monitor their welfare, he added.
According to the ministry of foreign affairs, about 5.0 million Bangladeshis were employed abroad until October this year.
Some 0.382 million workers went abroad in 2006. In the first 10 months of 2007, about 0.66 million workers took employment in different countries, the foreign ministry sources said.