7/16/2020 Migrant workers coming home: To what? | The Daily Star and abuse. In Lebanon, many employers left the capital for their hometowns, leaving behind their female house-help without arranging even basic necessities. We are yet to find out about the women in detention centres. What we need most is a comprehensive documentation of migrant workers' grievances. Organisations under the banner Bangladesh Civil Society for Migration are collecting information on the returnees and all stakeholders can coordinate to ensure proper documentation. Regarding the "wage theft" amounting to billions of dollars, our embassies can play a significant role to ensure that dues are cleared before workers are sent home. There is now a global demand for an international justice system where we can make our workers' cases. But if we don't have the necessary information, what will we submit? Five hundred crore is not satisfactory—at least Tk 2,000 crore should be allocated for the welfare of migrant workers. The loans alone will not do much good, the returnees need many more services to utilise the cash properly. The expatriate bank cannot handle this alone either. If other banks are involved in distributing the money alongside providing training and other facilities, only then we can expect progress.    "It is time for a proactive approach, rather than a reactive one" CR Abrar, Professor of International Relations at the University of Dhaka   https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/news/migrant-workers-coming-home-what-1922477 5/14