Don’t Shut Migrant Workers Out, Rights Organisations Urge Rich Countries

Dhaka, Bangladesh | December 21, 2008 by D-8 Secretariat

Remittance is an important sector in many D-8 countries

Both local and international organisations yesterday ratcheted up calls to recognise positive contributions that migrant workers can make to economic growth, as millions of migrant workers face layoffs around the world. The calls came from different programmes designed to mark International Migrants Day. A day earlier, International Labour Organisation revealed a chilling forecast, pointing to worsening conditions for migrant workers in the global financial crisis.

“Although the economic crisis is still unfolding and its full impact remains unclear, it should be counterproductive for governments in developed countries to close their doors to migrants,” the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a statement.

Economic woes are dragging down remittances — money sent home by immigrants to their families that often serves as a lifeline. The World Bank now estimates that remittances to developing countries in 2009 will be less than $283 billion estimated for 2008.

Bangladesh that has a target of $10 billion in remittances for the current fiscal year from its workers abroad may receive only $8.9 billion in the worst-case scenario, putting pressure on foreign exchange reserves, according to the World Bank.

“Closing doors will undoubtedly encourage migrants to use the exploitative, abusive and often life-threatening back entrance into destination countries offered by human smugglers and traffickers,” said IOM Director General William Lacy Swing.

“The economic crisis should also not be used to exploit migrants in the informal sector through lowering or non-payment of wages.”

In Bangladesh, rights activists called for efforts to sustain in the international labour markets by improving the quality and competence of Bangladeshi migrant workers and by curbing malpractices in the immigration processes.

Speakers suggested the need to undertake massive skill building programmes to develop skilled manpower, as required by the labour receiving countries and start international advocacy to reduce the costs of migration. The observations came at a discussion titled “Bangladeshi migrant workers and significance of International Migrants’ Day” organised by the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment at Bangladesh Shishu Academy auditorium in Dhaka.

The government, for the first time, observed the day this year, recognising over five million Bangladeshi expatriates worldwide. Government officials, rights activists and NGO workers brought out a rally from Shahbag to the High Court area.

“The migrant workers are playing a key role in economic development. They are the proud sons and daughters of the soil. We must work for their welfare,” said Foreign and Expatriates’ Welfare Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.

The adviser said the Bangladeshi government has taken a nine-point strategy to create new job markets, teach foreign languages and check deprivations. The expatriates remitting a yearly amount of $5,000 or equivalent money to Bangladesh will be provided with a special card that will entitle them to special facilities at airports, educational institutions and hospitals.

Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit Coordinator Professor Tasneem Siddiqui demanded the government go for international advocacy to reduce migration costs, check visa trading, and eradicate problems in the labour outsourcing system.

Greeting all Bangladeshi migrants, Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) President Ghulam Mustafa said: “I, on behalf of Baira, pledge to take efforts to bring migrants’ exploitation to zero.”

Manusher Jonno Foundation Executive Director Shaheen Anam stressed strengthening inter-ministerial coordination to look after the affairs of the migrants.

Realising the significance of remittance sector, D-8 Organisation through its secretariat has been working on a concentrated initiative to set up a D-8 working group on this issue to help member countries to better route this potential remittance for the development of the D-8 member countries. “Due to their large number of populations, our member countries are among the big supplier of migrant worker until now, and it is our utmost interest to seek the best mechanism to channel this resources to the systematised efforts to reduce and eliminate poverty, such as agricultural-aid programs, small-micro investment funds, institutionalisation of the micro-financial system in remote villages, and the improvement of remittances services for poor people,” said D-8 Secretary General, Dr. Dipo Alam.

D-8 Commissioner had voiced their support to develop D-8 Working Group on Migrant Workers, Remittances, and Microfinance during the Commissioner Meeting in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, November last year.

Earlier this month, D-8 initiated a breakthrough in collaboration with The International Youth Foundation (IYF), by proposing to implement a pilot program in Indonesia and Pakistan to promote the increased use of remittances from overseas workers for investments that will promote food security and employment in the origin areas of the workers. The initial program will be established in selected areas of these two countries and implemented in collaboration through Indonesian and Pakistani governments, banking institutions, private sector recruitment companies and agricultural development NGOs coordinated by Indonesia Business Links (IBL) in Indonesia and Rural Support Program Network (RSPN) in Pakistan. The pilot project targets to leverage remittances to improve household welfare, expand employment opportunities through enterprise development, and promote food security, thereby positively contributing to development and poverty alleviation in support of the Millennium Development Goals of the member countries.

News Contributor: The Daily Star.

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