Host countries should implement a mandatory “migrant protection policy”
According to government data shared by Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMRRU), the average monthly return of migrant workers in the country increased by four times in the last three months compared to what it was in the previous five months. Data shows that between April 1 and August 27, some 85,790 migrant workers returned home from 26 countries, while the number of returnees increased to a little over 3.26 lakh as of November 30. While many of our workers were deported due to the coronavirus pandemic, many were forced to return due to a fall in global oil price and job losses in tourism, services and construction sectors in the Gulf countries.
Thousands of our workers got stranded after coming home on holiday at the beginning of the pandemic, while others were forced to return by the host countries. Many among them could not fly abroad despite completing all the procedures. A joint survey by Bangladesh Civil Society for Migrants and RMMRU this year found that remittance was the only source of income for 57 percent households. Naturally, these families have slipped into poverty amid the pandemic. Reportedly, the government created separate funds of Tk 200 crore and Tk 500 crore as loan support for returnee migrants, and Bangladesh Bank also announced a separate scheme for the returnees. We would like to know an update from the authorities concerned as to how the money was disbursed or whether the schemes were implemented properly.
Our migrant workers have been facing multidimensional challenges as their rights are being violated in many ways. Many were unfairly blamed for Covid-19 transmission in some of the host countries and eventually deported. But during this time, irregular migration on different routes to reach European countries also continued. A large number of our migrants also fell victim to national and transnational trafficking gangs and a number of them had to lose their lives.
We urge the government as well as organisations working with migrants’ rights to put pressure on the host countries to stop forced deportation of workers. Besides, demand should be raised in multilateral forums to implement a mandatory “migrant protection policy” during crisis times, which will include natural disaster, economic recession and health crisis, as stressed by RMMRU. As for addressing the issue of irregular migration, the government needs to adopt some new policies. Its initiative to bring informal grassroots service providers or middlemen under a legal framework to tackle fraudulence is commendable. We hope it will be done without any delay. Furthermore, the government should continue negotiating with the migrant-receiving countries so that the workers stuck at home can have visas and other necessary documents to rejoin their jobs abroad.
