Debabrata Ghosh's Migration Friend: A timely safe labour migration information dissemination initiative

Migration Friend written by Debabrata Ghosh, Assistant Director, Cumilla District Employment and Manpower Office has been published with a view to disseminating labour migration information mostly to the aspirant and outgoing migrants so that they can make informed decisions before going abroad for employment and get necessary information which they need throughout their migration journey. The pioneering book can also tremendously benefit government officials, migration experts and scholars from NGOs, CSOs, CBOs, returnees and other stakeholders mostly involved in labour migration issues.

With eye-catchy and spectacular relevant cover page Migration Friend treats of labour migration process, institutions involved in the process, laws, policies, rules and circulars most relevant to labour migration. It tries to ensure migrant workers’ right to information and access to timely and accurate information for those who want to go abroad for work.

Aspirant migrants often have to rely heavily on the middlemen who take resort to unfair means and exploit them. And then the story of deception begins. Since labor-migration is one of the driving forces of Bangladesh's economy, people of all classes and professions including migrant workers and their family members should have a good idea about migration process, institutions and agencies, financial management, remittance transfer process, etc.

Migration Friend primarily aims at ensuring safe, regular, orderly and responsible migration, preventing human trafficking, eliminating middlemen in the process of overseas employment, reducing high immigration costs, ensuring welfare of migrant workers and their families by making all pertinent information available to the people and free of cost.

The book, approved by the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), has been published by the District Employment and Manpower Office, Cumilla, with the aim of exposing the opportunities and potentials of overseas employment and reducing the risks in the migration process. Md. Shahidul Alam, Director General, BMET, wrote the introduction to the book and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) extended financial help to publish the book.

The contents of Migration Friend are as follows:

Part 1. Migration process and means

Part 2. Migration Processing Institutions: Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment; Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET); Wage Earners’ Welfare Board; Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (Boesl); District Employment and Manpower Office (DEMO); Expatriates’ Welfare Bank; Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA)

Part 3. Laws related to migration: a) Emigration Ordinance, 1982 b) Expatriates’ Welfare Bank Act, 2010 c) Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act, 2012 d) Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013 e) Wage Earners’ Welfare Board Act, 2018

Part 4. Policy and Policies: a) Commercially Important Persons (Non-Resident Bangladeshis) Selection Policy, 2015 b) Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Policy, 2016 c) Commercially Important Persons (Non-Resident Bangladeshis) Selection Policy, 2016 d) Expatriate Workers Insurance Policy, 2019 e) Rehabilitation Loan Policy for Migrant Workers Affected by Covid-19, 2020

Part 5. Rules: a) Emigration Rules, 2002 b) Wage Earners’ Welfare Fund Rules, 2002 c) Recruiting Agent Conduct and License Rules, 2002 d) Overseas Employment and Migrants Management Rules, 2017 e) Overseas Employment and Migrants (Recruiting Agents License and Conduct) Rules, 2019 f) Overseas Employment and Migrants (Recruiting Agents Classification) Rules, 2020

Part 6. Circulars: a) List of migration costs fixed by the government b) Further protection of women migrant workers c) Compulsory insurance for migrant workers

Part 7. List of Overseas Employment Management, Expatriates Welfare and Training Institutions: a) List of Labour Welfare Wings b) List of District Employment and Manpower Offices (DEMOs) c) List of Technical Training Centres (TTCs) d) Divisional Employment and Manpower Offices and List of Expatriates Welfare Desk e) List of Institute of Marine Technologies (IMTs) and Apprenticeship Training Centres

Part 8. Migration-related NGOs, INGOs and others: Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU); BRAC Migration Program; WARBE Development Foundation; Ovibashi  Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP); Bangladeshi Ovibashi Mohila Sramik  Association (BOMSA); Bangladesh Nari Sramik Kendro (BNSK); International Organization for Migration (IOM); International Labour Organization (ILO); UN Women Bangladesh; International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD); Winrock International; Danish Refugee Council (DRC); Helvetas Bangladesh

Part 9. List of government approved recruiting agencies

The author and compiler Debabrata Ghosh informed that the book Migration Friend has contained comprehensive information about labour migration in Bangladesh which is necessary for the people of all walks of life. He further said that to ensure the right to information of the people, soft copy of the book Migration Friend has been uploaded on the websites and anyone can download it for free and use it as required.