Speakers at a workshop on Tuesday stressed the need for ensuring fair and ethical recruitment system for the outbound jobseekers as a means of protecting their rights.
They said that both the receiving and sending countries have to be accountable to make sure the fair practices in the recruitment process of workers.
International Organisation for Migration (IOM) organised the sensitisation workshop on 'Migration and Rights' at a city hotel. Officials, migrant rights campaigners and experts were present at the meeting.
Sharon Dimanche, deputy chief of mission of IOM Bangladesh, said that it is necessary to ensure fair recruitment practices to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The migrant workers are exploited in many ways in the recruitment process, including migration cost.
Rownaq Jahan, secretary in charge at the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, said the high migration cost is a big problem in the country's migration sector.
Due to lack of awareness, the jobseekers are paying extra money. But, it needs to be stopped for protecting the interests of the workers, she said.
Ms Jahan also said the Bangladeshi workers receive lower wages as they are not skilled one. "We have sufficient number of training centres. We are trying to create more skilled workers to send abroad," she added.
Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, secretary general at Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), said there is a common perception that ethical recruitment will be practiced only by the sending countries.
But, he said, it is quite impossible if both the receiving and sending countries do not take part in the practices. He suggested increasing quality migration.
Salim Reza, director general of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, and Pawel Szalus, programme manager of International Recruitment Integrity System at IOM headquarters, among others, also spoke at the workshop.
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