Over the last few months the migrant workers have been coming back home due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic coupled with global recession.
“Over 20 lakh Bangladeshi migrant workers might come back home due to corona impact.” said Syeed Ahamed, referring to newspaper reports, while demanding an enhanced budgetary allocation for their reintegration.
Mr. Ahamed made those remarks at a virtual conference on 16th May 2020, along with the parliamentarians, migration experts & representatives of development partners and moderated by Syed Saiful Haque. It was jointly organized by WARBE DF, Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Programme (OKUP) and IID. The conference was an effort from migrant rights activists and civil society leaders to urge the government to focus on the returnee migrant crisis.
An attendee of the virtual event, Expatriates’ Welfare and overseas employment ministry’s Secretary Ahmed Munirus Saleheen said already 3,500 Bangladeshi migrants have returned home and a significant number would be coming back to Bangladesh.
British Council’s Issue-Based Project manager and gender and social inclusion advisor Shirin Lira said that national and international organisations and civil society members would have to work together to address the emerging challenges of the migration sector.
Lawmaker Shameem Haider Patwary proposed that the government could create a public limited company with 49 percent share of migrants to ensure they get benefitted really.
Parliamentary Caucus on Migration and Development member Mahjabeen Khaled, Solidarity Center’s senior programme officer Lily Gomes, Foreign ministry’s director general Nazrul Islam, former BMET director Nurul Islam, BRAC Migration Programme Head Shariful Hasan, Centre for Development Communication managing director Hasan Imam Shaon, Film4Peace Foundation executive director Pervez Sidduqui, Awaj Foundation director Anisur Rahman Khan and WARBE DF director Jasiya Khatoon also took part in the discussion.