The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) should play more pro-active role in ensuring migrants' rights by both labour-sending and receiving countries, speakers said on Sunday.
The suggestion came at a consultative meeting on GFMD 2014 organised by the Welfare Association for the Rights of Bangladeshi Emigrants (WARBE) Development Foundation held in the city.
The speakers made some recommendations for the GFMD meeting to be held on May 12-16 in the Swedish capital of Sweden.
The recommendations include reduction of migration cost, reform of Kafala System (Sponsorship system) in the Gulf countries, inclusion of development plan for migration, alarming rate of Bangladeshi migrants' death abroad, and welfare of remittance recipients, and ensuring media participation in the GFMD meeting.
Syed Saiful Haque, Chairman of WARBE, said Bangladeshi migrant workers in the Gulf countries are not allowed to bear their passports. For this reason, they are unable to move freely in their job destination countries.
The issue should be raised strongly in the GFMD meeting, he said.
He also said the death rate Bangladeshi migrant workers has increased alarmingly, the cause of which remains 'unclear' in most of the cases.
Jabed Ahmed, additional director general, Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), said they will place all the recommendations to the upcoming GFMD meeting, which came from various organisations to ensure migrants' welfare.
Bikash Chowdhury , president of Bangladesh Support Group (BSUG) in Netherlands, Marina Sultana, programme coordinator of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), among others were present at the programme.
Call to raise migrants\\\' rights issue in upcoming Stockholm forum
FE Report | Published: May 05, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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