Plight of migrant workers
According to a recent report published in a Bangla daily fraud, cheating and human trafficking by unscrupulous manpower agents have resulted in thousands of Bangladeshis being cheated and hundred are rotting in foreign jails in inhuman condition. Despite tough rhetoric from the government quarters, we have hardly seen the perpetrators of these nefarious activities being punished. Gullible people continue to fall victims to immigration scams. It is feared that hundreds of Bangladeshis could be in limbo in and around a number of countries after being duped by recruiters. Many would-be migrants are ending up behind bars for immigration offences, while others face the daunting prospect of returning home with nothing but their debts.
The government and the private sector must work together to expand legal avenues for the outflow of manpower. Obviously when legal routes dry up, people tend to try unorthodox methods.
The Emigration Ordinance 1982 (EO) criminalises a number of activities that endanger emigration of any person. It is an offence to fraudulently induce any person to emigrate. It is also an offence if any recruiting agent charges any emigrant fees in excess of the fees prescribed by the government, or if any person not being a recruiting agent demands or receives any money from any person for providing foreign employment. Unfortunately the laws remain on paper.
Remittances from wage earners stand at around $13bn which is roughly six times higher than the official development assistance and 11 times the foreign direct investment in Bangladesh. Most Bangladeshis working overseas are engaged in backbreaking labour to earn a living. Most come from relatively poor families. And it is the remittance sent by them which is providing the country with much needed foreign exchange.
What is needed is a real and lasting solution. The underlying cause for people to risk life and limb to go abroad is that they are unable to provide for their families in their own home country. This must be changed. Additionally, there must be more thorough vetting of people going out of the country. Many of these migrants go on tourist visas and stay and work illegally.
And finally, law enforcement needs to crack harder on the facilitators of these kidnappings and ensure that the perpetrators are punished. It is unacceptable that so many of our citizens have to go through this.
In spite of migrant workers being such a crucial lifeline to the economy they face numerous problems including corrupt recruiting practices and the lack of co-ordinated government initiatives for the vulnerable migrants. The unscrupulous immigration rackets must be busted. They have gotten away with murder, both figuratively and literally for too long.
