Reza Mahmud :
Thousands of Bangladeshi migrants are returning home empty-handed, facing immense frustration after spending substantial amounts of money earned from selling their valuable properties to finance their ventures abroad.
It’s estimated that approximately one lakh migrants return home nearly penniless each year, plunging into despair alongside their families.
Although the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment has initiated efforts to aid these returnees, experts deem them inadequate.
In a recent incident, the Maldives deported 186 foreigners, including 83 Bangladeshis, for offenses such as visa violations and drug-related crimes.
Furthermore, tragedy struck as two youths from Madaripur district lost their lives after their boat sank off the Libyan coast while attempting to reach Italy illegally via the Mediterranean Sea. Mamun Sheikh and Sajal Bairagi, both from Soromongol village, left their families devastated upon receiving the tragic news.
Sajal’s father, Sunil Bairagi, lamented, “I have lost everything, having given Tk 15 lakh from selling my lands, cows, and other possessions to the agent for sending Sajal to Italy.” Similarly, Sajib Sheikh, the elder brother of deceased Mamun Sheikh, recounted providing a similar amount to the agent.
Like these youths, migrants embarking on perilous journeys to European countries through illegal routes, such as those off the Tunisian and Libyan coasts, are exceptionally vulnerable, often entrapped by unscrupulous agents promising lucrative outcomes.
Conversely, many workers venture abroad annually to countries like Saudi Arabia under the pretext of free visas, only to return home empty-handed due to a lack of job opportunities.
Mohammad Abdul Hai, Director of the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), emphasized that there’s no such thing as a free visa and cautioned against agents who promise such schemes, urging individuals to report them to authorities.
Recent times have seen an influx of migrant workers returning empty-handed from Libya.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has facilitated the repatriation of stranded Bangladeshi migrants from Libya, with 1245 individuals brought back between July 2023 and February 1 this year. Each returnee received Tk600 as pocket money and food assistance from the IOM.
Ali Haider Chowdhury, Secretary General of BAIRA and Director of East West Human Resource Center Ltd., highlighted the risks of undocumented work abroad, stressing the importance of obtaining legal work permits.
Studies indicate that approximately 74 percent of returnees come back empty-handed, with 37.3 percent being female workers, according to the Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers’ Association.
Shariful Hasan, Associate Director of the Migration Programme at BRAC, emphasized the need for comprehensive support, including psychological, financial, and social assistance, for returnees facing trauma.
Despite the challenges, Bangladesh remains a significant source of migrant workers and a substantial recipient of remittances, with expatriates sending USD 22 billion in 2022 and $21.91 billion in 2023, as per the central bank’s data.
When contacted, Shariful Hasan, Associate Director, Migration Programme at BRAC told The New Nation, “About one lakh migrants are return home every year nearly empty handed.
While the hard-earned money sent by 12 million expatriate workers has been prospering the economy of the country, the country also has a responsibility to them.”
“Most of the returnees who return empty handed have trauma. So they need three types of support-psychological, financial and social,” Shariful Hasan said.
A total of 1.21 million Bangladeshis workers went aboard in the first 11 months of 2023, and the figure was 1.18 million in 2022.
Bangladesh is the sixth largest source of migrant workers and the seventh largest recipient of remittance. Expatriate workers remitted USD 22 billion in 2022 and have sent $21.91 billion in 2023, according to the central bank.
