Doors of justice closed to migrants at every point
UNB
Lawyers, rights campaigners and officials yesterday said that even migrant workers who faced abuse or those who were cheated at every stage of the process were cut off from justice due to lack of awareness of the laws, reports UNB. They said that involvement of brokers in the recruitment process and lack of bilateral agreements with the labour-recipient countries deterred the victim migrants or their families from pursuing a just, let alone adequate compensation. They made the remarks while speaking at a dialogue on access to justice for migrants and their family members at CIRDAP auditorium.
WARBE development foundation and Lawyers beyond Borders Bangladesh jointly organized the dialogue in collaboration with PRPKAS programme of British Council.
Speaking as chief guest, expatriates welfare and overseas employment ministrys secretary in charge Jabed Ahmed said that culture of impunity for migrant workers took place both at home and destination countries.
Many of the victimized migrant workers are unaware about laws and they often feel discouraged to file cases fearing the hassles in legal process, he said.
Jabed Ahmed, however, said that the government was committed to take protection measures to ensure justice to the migrant workers.
WARBE foundation chairman Syed Saiful Haque demanded ensuring migrant workers to have access to complaints before getting access to justice as there were no clear complaint centers or relevant information.
If migrants get problems to have access to justice, where can their family members who belong to them get the justice, he questioned.
WARBE Development foundation secretary general Faruque Ahmed said that female migrant workers were being abused at home and destination countries as they were recruited by outsourcing method of recruiting agencies - the equivalent of sub-contracting in RMG factories.
He urged the government to set up dormitories for the domestic workers in destination countries as a protection measure from sexual abuses.
Faruque Ahmed, a returned migrant, appealed to the government to send migrant workers only from the governments database to slash involvement of middlemen.
International Labour Organizations national programme officer Rahnuma Salam Khan said that migrant workers could be brought under purview legal protection in destination countries by involving the legal institutes there.
Country coordinator of Lawyers beyond Borders Bangladesh Abdullah Al Hasan said that implementation of the relevant laws should be ensured to protect the victim migrants.
He emphasized on proper collaboration of information, fact and evidence from countries of origins to destinations to get justice for migrants.
Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training director Nurul Islam who presided over the dialogue said that domestic workers were facing overload of work in the Middle East countries where working hours were not counted. Those issues would be discussed at the joint working group meeting, he assured.
