Authorities working to lower cost of migration, says the expatriates’ welfare ministry
Following decade-long discussions on holding middlemen of international migrations accountable, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment is amending the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013 to root out criminal activities in the process.
Dr Nashid Rizwana Monir, deputy secretary to the ministry, disclosed the matter on Wednesday while addressing an event organized by Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU) in Dhaka.
Dr Nashid, who is involved in the process of the amendment, said middlemen are found to be violating rights in most cases of international migration. “This is why we are including them in the legal framework. We are amending the law and including them as sub-agents.”
The middlemen will face legal action if they become involved in illegal activities when the law comes into force, she added.
However, she did not mention the progress of said amendment.
Explaining what the ministry is doing to ensure more decent work for migrants, the deputy secretary said Bangladeshi will shift from the “employee pays model” to the “employer pays principle”.
Experts have been saying for years that the adoption of the employer pays principle across all industries is essential to combating exploitation, forced labour and trafficking of migrant workers, and represents an important step in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal of decent work for all.
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