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Jan 21, 2010
The government will provide
mobile phones for the female
migrant workers in a bid to
address any problems fast,
said Expatriates' Welfare and
Overseas Employment Minister
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain
yesterday.
“We shall implement the
decision immediately...
provide mobile phones to
female job seekers when they
complete training before
migration and SIM cards after
their arrival overseas,” he
said at a special BBC dialogue
by BBC Bangla Service at
Bangabandhu International
Convention Centre in the city.
The announcement came when the
audience, many of whom
returned from abroad, brought
allegations of not getting
adequate cooperation from the
Bangladesh missions when they
fell in trouble overseas.
Some female migrant returnees
even said they were tortured
in Lebanon and that the
government officials back at
home were negligent to provide
compensation money for those
who died abroad.
Expatriates from Saudi Arabia,
Oman and Canada put a number
of questions on high migration
costs, dominance of middlemen
and use of unofficial channel
to remit money.
The minister said he is well
aware of the problems, but
there are shortages of
manpower and logistics at the
embassies.
“We shall provide the mobile
phones to the female migrants
so that we can fast address
their problems, if any, and
also to help them overcome
cultural shocks,” he said.
He said the government has
already written letters to the
upazila and union parishads so
that the overseas job seekers
can have access to information
at local government levels on
jobs abroad.
To avoid middlemen, he asked
the job seekers to get
registered at the databank of
Bureau of Manpower Employment
and Training from where the
recruiting agencies will
select for recruitment.
Besides, the expatriates'
welfare ministry is working in
line with the foreign ministry
to strengthen economic
diplomacy, especially with the
countries employing
Bangladeshi labour.
Bangladesh Association of
International Recruiting
Agencies (Baira) President
Ghulam Mustafa suggested
introducing a new cadre
service on migration for
efficient migration management.
Dr Mustafizur Rahman,
executive director of Centre
for Policy Dialogue,
recommended that
accountability and
transparency of the recruiting
agencies be ensured to check
fraudulence.
Sumaiya Islam of Bangladesh
Obhibashi Mahila Sramik
Association said remittance of
the migrants is the lifeline
of the national economy. So,
their rights should get the
highest priority.
Source: The Dailystar
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