26/01/2021 Overworked, unpaid and abused, Bangladeshi women return from Middle East | Prothom Alo Shirin also said that the government should make the recruiting agencies accountable to get back their wages. She said that the government needs to have dialogue and negotiation with the governments of destination countries so that they also shoulder some responsibilities. “Wider collaboration among stakeholders and strong partnership both in Bangladesh and in destination countries can mitigate the problems that women migrants are facing currently due to the pandemic.” Seeking justice for wage theft Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), Lawyers Beyond Borders (LBB) Network, Cross Regional Centre for Migrants and Refugees (CCRM), South Asia Trade Union Council (SARTUC), and Solidarity Center (SC) have called for establishing a “Transitional Justice Mechanism” to address the plight of millions of migrant workers who have been repatriated or are awaiting repatriation as a result of pandemic-related job loss. In a joint statement they said that huge volume of cases of wage theft and other outstanding claims have been heightened at this time and migrant workers’ access to justice should be the priority of governments. They said that cases could be received directly from migrants themselves or through entities providing support or legal representation to migrants. “All pre-existing case documentations should be referred to the Claims Commissions for resolution. The International Claims Commission could be administered jointly by ILO and IOM together with other relevant stakeholders.” Md Owasim Uddin Bhuyan is a freelance journalist Editor & Publisher: Matiur Rahman Copyright © 2021 Prothom Alo. All Rights Reserved. https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/overworked-unpaid-and-abused-bangladeshi-women-return-from-middle-east 8/8