Findings of the report "Addressing Systemic Challenges of Wage
Theft: Bangladeshi Covid-19 Returnees from the Gulf" were shared
during a virtual ceremony yesterday organised by Migrant Forum
in Asia, a regional migrant rights platform.
Titled "South Asian Perspectives on Wage Theft and Access to
Justice", the event also saw sharing of similar study findings from
India and Nepal.
Disclosing the report on Bangladesh, BCSM Chair Prof CR Abrar
said the amount lost by Bangladeshi returnees is "quite a
staggering sum".
Covid-19 had taken a huge toll on the respondents, most of whom
were gainfully employed during the pre-pandemic period, said Prof
Abrar, also executive director of Refugee and Migratory Movements
Research Unit (RMMRU).
He said the experiences of Bangladeshi migrant workers exposed
the "systemic weakness" of the protection structure of migrant
workers.
"Here, as we said, countries of destination, countries of origin, and
private sectors in both countries -- everyone is culpable," he said,
adding that the issue has to be addressed.
Seven BCSM member organisations, including RMMRU, conducted
the survey in 45 districts between March 25 and May 6 this year.
The Bangladeshi migrants, 14.7 percent of whom are female,
returned from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain,
Oman and Kuwait.
Aged between 20 and 49, they stayed in the countries of
destination formore than five years. They were employed in
various sectors, including construction, domestic staff, hospitality,
and services.