Misery of the overseas job seekers
Md Shamsul Haque | Saturday, 30 August 2008
ACCORDING to reports, there is hardly any letup in the activities of the rackets which have been taking large sums of money from gullible people with promises of sending them abroad with jobs. They provide forged visas in many cases to such job-seekers, who are detected on arrival at foreign airports. The workers are sent back but they lose everything in the process because on coming back they find in many cases that their senders have got away with no trace. In other cases, our workers upon going abroad find a complete mismatch between the actual conditions of work and what the manpower exporters back home had promised them as regards remunerations and other terms and conditions of their jobs. Very often than not, our workers abroad are forced to do inhuman labour. The jobs in other cases may have no similarity with what they were told as the nature of the jobs would be in Bangladesh.
Other types of gross violation of terms and conditions of jobs are noted. It appears that Bangladeshi job seekers become the worst victims of such offences. If some persons should be mainly blamed for such hapless conditions of our workers abroad, then they would be the typical manpower exporters who promise so many things to workers and take cut-throat fees from them for sending them abroad but only actually push them into great oppression and exploitation in foreign lands.
The present interim government is doing useful work in many vital areas of national life. It should be neither irrelevant nor expecting much that it should give its due attention to these aspects of frauds in the manpower export trade. There is also opportunity to deal in a tough manpower with these fraudsters as the country is under an emergency that make harder and swifter application of the laws possible. Besides, the government would be addressing the needs of a pivotal economic sector in the process while also acting to safeguard the desperate needs of a section of the people of modest means who get cheated and suffer very great agonies from spending time in foreign jails and turning into paupers. Thus, both human as well as very important economic considerations are involved.
The export of manpower is currently proving to be the main pillar supporting the economy of the country. This sector, therefore, deserves to be protected from all harms so that it can further flourish to realize its greater potential while adding substantially to the country's foreign currency reserve from its better functioning. On the other hand, the cases of great torments at the hands of frauds coming down will mean justice being done to these hapless and helpless people. In many cases, job-seekers sell their last bits of ancestral land property or even the family jewelry to provide the fees to the fraudulent manpower agents. When they are detained and sent back from foreign airports or are put in jails there, their very great agonies then should be very easy to understand. After returning home they and their families face only worse poverty and deprivation. Any notion of fair-play and justice demands that these cases of great injustices should be responded with the most unsparing and resolute actions by the law enforcers.
Even manpower agents, have been sending clients abroad with genuine visas and work permits, are also known to engage in unfair dealings. Government has earmarked the maximum amount of fee that can be charged from job-seekers in different categories which are to be paid to the agents as their fees. While this regulation is observed on paper, the reality in most cases is that the agents take far greater amounts from their clients leaving no tangible proofs of such transactions. This is also a crime and repression which calls for investigation and actions. With the agents taking only legitimate fees, it should become easier for people to go abroad with jobs. In that case, a greater number would feel inspired to take up overseas jobs which would mean greater earnings for the country from manpower export.
Other types of gross violation of terms and conditions of jobs are noted. It appears that Bangladeshi job seekers become the worst victims of such offences. If some persons should be mainly blamed for such hapless conditions of our workers abroad, then they would be the typical manpower exporters who promise so many things to workers and take cut-throat fees from them for sending them abroad but only actually push them into great oppression and exploitation in foreign lands.
The present interim government is doing useful work in many vital areas of national life. It should be neither irrelevant nor expecting much that it should give its due attention to these aspects of frauds in the manpower export trade. There is also opportunity to deal in a tough manpower with these fraudsters as the country is under an emergency that make harder and swifter application of the laws possible. Besides, the government would be addressing the needs of a pivotal economic sector in the process while also acting to safeguard the desperate needs of a section of the people of modest means who get cheated and suffer very great agonies from spending time in foreign jails and turning into paupers. Thus, both human as well as very important economic considerations are involved.
The export of manpower is currently proving to be the main pillar supporting the economy of the country. This sector, therefore, deserves to be protected from all harms so that it can further flourish to realize its greater potential while adding substantially to the country's foreign currency reserve from its better functioning. On the other hand, the cases of great torments at the hands of frauds coming down will mean justice being done to these hapless and helpless people. In many cases, job-seekers sell their last bits of ancestral land property or even the family jewelry to provide the fees to the fraudulent manpower agents. When they are detained and sent back from foreign airports or are put in jails there, their very great agonies then should be very easy to understand. After returning home they and their families face only worse poverty and deprivation. Any notion of fair-play and justice demands that these cases of great injustices should be responded with the most unsparing and resolute actions by the law enforcers.
Even manpower agents, have been sending clients abroad with genuine visas and work permits, are also known to engage in unfair dealings. Government has earmarked the maximum amount of fee that can be charged from job-seekers in different categories which are to be paid to the agents as their fees. While this regulation is observed on paper, the reality in most cases is that the agents take far greater amounts from their clients leaving no tangible proofs of such transactions. This is also a crime and repression which calls for investigation and actions. With the agents taking only legitimate fees, it should become easier for people to go abroad with jobs. In that case, a greater number would feel inspired to take up overseas jobs which would mean greater earnings for the country from manpower export.