Bangladesh Civil Society for Migrants (BCSM) organised an online press conference on Achievements and Challenges of Implementation of COVID-19 Vaccination Registration. It highlighted on the challenges faced by the migrants in accessing vaccination services. The issues identified include but are not limited to; protection of personal data entered into the Ami Probashi app from thirdy party usage, migrants returning to destination countries not being considered as recipients of the Tk 25,000 subsidy for hotel quarantine except those going back to Saudi Arabia, having no clear information on whether the vaccines received are as per the requirements of the destination countries, being unaware of the complete registration process on the Ami Probashi app and the Surokkha app or website etc. Syed Saiful Haque, Co-Chair, BCSM and Chairman WARBE Development Foundation provided the welcome remarks. Dr. Tasneem Siddiqui, Founding Chair, RMMRU moderated the conference and presented the challenges and recommendations. The programme also featured video and audio messages of migrants sharing their grievances from around the country.
Through the conference BCSM provided eleven key recommendations to address the challenges including the ones mentioned above. Out of these, the recommendations of publicising the names of the vaccines approved by the destination countries through media and creating a video tutorial describing each step of the two registration processes to better inform the migrants, have already been promptly implemented by the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. Furthermore, Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested to keep the migrants on the priority list for receiving the Johnson and Johnson single dose vaccine. This was also one of the first recommendations presented by BCSM during the conference.
Ahsan Adelur Rahman MP, member, Parliamentarians’ Caucus on Migration and Development was present as guest at the press conference. Besides, a total of about ninety participants attended the conference including members of print and electronic media, civil society organisations and NGOs/INGOs.
2% to 4% Incentives on Remittance
On April 20, 2020, Bangladesh Civil Society for Migration (BCSM) demanded increasing the incentive package for expatriate workers to prevent downtrend in remittance inflow amid the first wave of the pandemic. It also urged the government to create sufficient fund for distressed migrant workers and their family members. The platform also advocated these issues with number of migration policy making bodies including the CAUCUS, MPS, Advisors of the Prime Minister based on the findings of the finding of the Situation Analysis Report conducted by Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) that indicated the importance of increasing the incentives of remittances. Later, on 2 April 2021 the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment proposed to the Finance Ministry to increase the incentive for remittances from two percent to four percent. BCSM members deeply acknowledge the decision of the government to consider BCSM’s plea.
After Bangladesh Civil Society for Migrants urged UN Secretary-General on 27 April 2020 to ask the destination countries to shelve their policies for protecting the rights of migrant workers amid Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Imran Ahmad, MP, Honourable Minister, MoEWOE sent BCSM secretariat a letter of appreciation for raising the welfare issue of migrant workers in the wake of the pandemic.
In his letter Honourable Minister said, “I strongly believed that ensuring the well-being of the migrant workers require effective partnership among all concern stakeholders particularly the civil society. In this respect, the collective initiative to bringing some pertinent issues to the notice of the world’s highest intergovernmental forums by a number of NGOs under the banner of BCSM is surely commendable.”
Submission of Memorandum to the Secretary, MoEWOE
The following 8 demands with recommendations were placed in the memorandum and formally submitted to the Secretary, MoEWOE.
1. Securing the safety of every female migrant worker in Saudi Arabia and providing legal protection according to the destination country’s law through a bilateral agreement. An example of punishment can be set under the law of destination country. Legal cell have to be established and lawyers have to be appointed there as well.
2. Effective legal action has to be taken by the Embassy of Bangladesh against accused recruiters or agencies of destination country.
3. Tortured female migrants should be given emergency assistance. Afterwards, compensation, healthcare and wages should be guaranteed and reintegration policies have to be undertaken for affected migrants.
4. It has to be clearly mentioned in the bilateral agreements that if a female worker is impregnated by the employer or his relative or any other person from other organisation, then the perpetrator should take the responsibilities of the affected female migrant and the child that.
5. Sufficient number of labor attaché and shelter home needs to be built and properly managed by engaging migrant workers in destination.
6. Duration of pre-departure training should be increased. Comprehensive, updated and qualitative training module; including skill, food habits, language etc. have to be developed.
7. To help returnee female migrants a special cell has to be set up at the airport in country. Accommodation support (dormitory) has to be developed for the safety of women workers.
8. The draft bilateral agreements should be made open to all for public opinion.
Outcome of the meeting on memorandum and other advocacy initiatives by BCSM
The recommendations put forth in the memorandum, positively influenced major policy changes in protection of female migrant workers.
1. Earlier recruiting agencies of Bangladesh used to take the responsibility of women workers for sending workers to Saudi Arabia for three months, but according to the decision of the Third Joint Technical Committee meeting held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November, 2019 the recruiting agencies are compelled to take their responsibility of female domestic workers up to two years (contract period).
2. The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Employment issued a directive on December 10, 2019 which states that
● If a recruiting agency facilitates migration of woman by providing false information on age and without medical checkup, legal action will be taken against the recruiting agency.
● The supervisory capacity of the Female Migrants Protection Cell has to be increased.
● Extend the period of the training programme for female workers upto 30 days.
● Introduce a third party evaluation of training of women workers
● Ensure that recruiting agencies provide Bangla translation of the contract and a cell phone to workers going abroad.
● Maintain a list of returning women and their flight numbers in advance with the concerned wing of the Welfare Desk and recruiting agency.
● From 10th of June 2018, government started the double screening mechanism for selecting the domestic workers by interviewing them before and after the training. The minimum age of recruitment of female migrants must be 25 years, the worker must pass the interview before finger-prints are taken, and she has to study at least up to class 3, must have ability to read and understand the agreement provided by the recruiting agency that contains name, address and contact number. Women with children below the age of 5 is not allowed to migrate.
● BMET and MoEWOE are making the R/A accountable for protecting the female migrants. They have become more responsive to address the vulnerabilities of female migrants like initiative to return oppressed female migrants, immediate actions against the recruiting agencies (i.e. locking the server of the agency) when any allegations come against them.
● Probashi Kallyan Desk of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport is providing all sorts of support to the vulnerable/needy returnee female migrants and ensuring emergency services with CSOs/NGOs like RMMRU, BRAC. As part of continuous response RMMRU is ensuring shelter home, medical support (physical and psychological), food, and transportation support for returning home through its Migration Support Center, Dakshin khan since September, 2019.
● Probashi Kollayan Desk is providing Tk. 5,000 to female returnee migrants who have returned within 1 year of their migration as transportation cost and others to back their home. In the fiscal year of 2019-2020, this desk provided services to 5,974 female returnees as emergency support.
● Wage Earners’ Welfare Board has launched reintegration project of Tk 60 million for 3,000 returnee female migrant workers to support them in their income-generating activities. Each of the workers will get Tk 20,000 grant to start their livelihood plans. They selected 950 women workers; of them, 70 women have been provided with the fund.
In the case of Abiron Begum, an exemplary punishment was awarded on February 2021. Recently a criminal court in Saudi Arabia has handed the death sentence to a Saudi woman for killing her Bangladeshi which was a rare example of an employer being found guilty of abusing a migrant worker in the Gulf states. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen welcomed the verdict. “I praise Saudi government for giving out this rare yet exemplary punishment” he stated.