BRAC Migration Program: A Lighthouse for Migrants
Bonosree Sarker

Overseas migration of Bangladeshis is contributing significantly to
the Bangladeshi economy. These migrant workers are the unsung
heroes of the country. Their stories are both the stories of hope anddespair. Each year, over half a million people go abroad to fulfill a dream ofa better future for themselves and their families.
Bangladesh received almost fifteen billion US dollars of remittance by
its workers abroad in 2016 and almost thirteen billion US dollars in 2017.1
During the 2015-2016 fiscal years, the remittance ranged from almost 8 percent of the gross domestic product (gdp) of Bangladesh in 2015 to 6 percent in 2016.2 The remittance earnings are more than the total amount offoreign aid (two billion US dollars) or foreign direct investment (1.3 billion
US dollars) that the country received. Only the earnings from garment exports at twenty-eight billion US dollars are higher than remittance earnings.
Migration becomes therefore a major contributing factor in Bangladesh’s
economy. Moreover, with an increasing migration rate, remittances are expected to play an even more prominent role in the future which will help
Bangladesh become a middle income country by 2020.
Overseas Migration
According to the United Nations Population Fund (impfa), there is economic growth potential “from shifts in a population’s age structure, mainly
when the share of the working-age population (15 to 64 years old) is larger
than the non-working-age share of the population (14 years old and younger,and 65 years old and older).”3 In other words, “economic productivity … occurs when there are growing numbers of people in the workforce relative tothe number of dependents.”4 Due to the rise of the working age population,
two million young people are added to the labor force each year, making it
difficult to accommodate them in the domestic labor market. Here overseas migration plays a crucial role in absorbing the new entrants to the job
market.

147

148

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

Migration has become so popular in Bangladesh that migrant workers
constitute 4.9 percent of the total working age population of Bangladesh.5
Evidently overseas migration, especially labor migration, has been one ofthe prime catalysts for the rapid economic development and livelihood development of Bangladesh. On the other hand, the migrant workers’ story
is full of exploitation, failed migration, harassment, trafficking and otherproblems. Besides, high overseas migration cost and lack of skilled workers
are the main obstacles in reaping the full potential benefits from migration.
In Bangladesh, overseas migrant workers, the actors behind this economic development and growth, have to deal with great difficulties to getnecessary services from authentic and recognized formal source. Since government services and private recruiting agencies are mainly operated fromlarge cities, migrants from the rural areas have difficulty getting proper information and service. There are District Employment Manpower Offices(demos) at the migrant worker-prone districts, but their scope of work isvery minimal relative to the huge service demand of the Bangladeshis. Also
there are very few civil society and private sector service providers in migrant worker-prone communities.
Without information and services at the grassroots level, people oftenchoose the informal and unsafe channels of migration. One of the reasonsfor the high migration cost is the informal migration procedures which are
traditionally managed and organized by brokers who work for private recruiting agencies. A large number of aspirant migrant workers become victims of unethical practices of recruiting agencies, operating in collaboration
with the so-called dalals (brokers), and are forced to pay an excessively highprice for migration-related procedures. As a result, Bangladeshis face someof the highest migration costs in the world, ranging from 1,675 to 5,145 US
dollars.6 Dalals and recruiting agencies receive a big amount as commission
for facilitating the migration process.7 The rest is spent on airfare, passport,
visa, medical certificate, and other expenses.
IssuesThere is a no reliable channel or services to trust at the community regarding overseas jobs. The potential migrant workers do not know how to register for overseas jobs, obtain a passport, purchase an airticket and know thecost involved in processing documents for migration. In addition, they doBRAC Migration Program: A Lighthouse for Migrants

149

not know how and where to get a medical check-up and loan for migration.
The costs associated with this process become very high due to several layers of dalals involved in the whole process. Anecdotal information suggeststhat there are more than 50,000 dalals currently active in the labor export
sector of Bangladesh. High migration cost has become a major hurdle foroverseas migration and a high source of risk for migrant workers given thepoverty level of potential migrant households.
Most of the overseas migrant workers from Bangladesh predominantly
belong to less-skilled category that leaves them in a vulnerable position interms of both net remittance earnings and their bargaining power with employers. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Employment and Training(bmet), of the half a million Bangladeshis migrating annually for overseas
jobs most have no skills training, working with a very low wages and face vulnerabilities. Under these conditions, less-skilled workers from Bangladesh
are at an increased risk of forced labor, exploitation, abuse, and even humantrafficking in their destination countries. Some find themselves in situationsof forced labor or debt bondage where they face restrictions on their movements, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse.
Another risk associated with this practice is the failure to recover theamount paid to dalals by the applicants who fail to fly to destination countries due to unexpected circumstances. Migrant workers are often promised
overseas employment in certain occupations at certain wages which are not
met due to the fraudulent practices of dalals. Most of the migrant workers
do not get their expected job and salary (as promised by dalals or agencies) when they start working abroad. This leads workers to resort to staging
strikes or escaping from their existing employers in search of other jobs.
This leads to harassment by law enforcement agencies in the destination
countries. Finally, they are migrating without receiving training or information related to country of destination (legal rights and duties of foreign
workers, cultural sensitivities, and the physical environment), and even airport formalities.
A big number of overseas migrant workers who return each year to
Bangladesh cannot contribute to the national economy of the country due
to lack of knowledge and information on small and medium-sized enterprises (smes) or business advisory services at the community level. They
face various problems including lack of information on prevailing businesstrends and lack of advisory services for new business start-ups and job op-

150

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

portunities in Bangladesh. The scenario is the same for both male and female migrant workers. They bring back new knowledge and skills from theexperience they obtain through overseas employment. But due to lack of information and services at the community level for returnee migrant workers
to start up a new business, they are spending money in a very unproductive
way and not able to change their economic situation even after their return.
In summary, the Bangladeshi migrant workers face major problems.
The potential migrants do not have the necessary information and knowledge available before making a decision to travel for overseas jobs. There is alack of public or private institutions at the district level to develop their soft8
and hard9 skills needed in the jobs abroad. They have difficulty gathering
funds to migrate. After returning home, they often fail to sustain their economically uplifted condition due non-availability of knowledge on productive utilization of remittance, entrepreneurship development and financial
support for new business creation.
BRAC Migration Program
To address the issues faced by the migrant workers, the Bangladesh Rural
Advancement Committee (brac) Migration Program started its intervention in 2006. The program is designed to fill the void in three specific areas:lack of knowledge and information regarding migration and its formalities;
pervasive cheating and criminal activities by fraudulent migration agencies;
and lack of contact between host country agencies and Bangladeshi agencies. The brac Migration Program operates to improve the migration process in migrant worker-prone communities in Bangladesh.
Program Goal, Objectives, Focus
The brac Migration Program aims to ensure safe migration of skilled
Bangladeshi workers and to support the sustainable livelihood of the migrant workers and their family members.
Specifically, the program has the following objectives:• To ensure safe migration of Bangladeshi migrant workers at threestages of migration;• To increase access to essential information and services for migrant
workers and family members;

BRAC Migration Program: A Lighthouse for Migrants

•
•
•

151

To facilitate socio-economic reintegration of returnee migrant
workers;
To influence migration policy through advocacy, networking andmedia mobilization; andTo promote innovation and best practices to improve safe migration.

BRAC Migration Program Milestone
The brac Migration Program started as a pilot project under the Safe
Migration Facilitation Centre (smfc) initiative of brac. It started withawareness-raising activities to promote safe migration among the thirtysix migrant worker-prone sub-districts of Bangladesh. The safe migration
awareness campaign in the community started with volunteers, in addition
to establishment of community-based organizations (cbos). These cbos arecommunity-based voluntary migration forums working as a communitybased information and support mechanism. The members are local people
including returnee migrant workers. These cbos were immediately recognized and accepted by the migrant workers and their family.
The urgency of providing support for victims of fraudulent recruitment schemes started the legal aid support system for the cheated migrant
workers under the program. This legal aid support is provided in collaboration with brac’s Human Rights and Legal Aid Services (hrls) program.
However, in most cases, cheated migrant workers and their families do nothave the required documents to go through the legal procedure. For this reason many cases failed to get filed at the Bureau of Manpower, Employment
and Training (bmet). The program added the component of helping migrant workers recover the lost money through a social arbitration process.
The community volunteer and cbo member discuss the cases with influential people in the community and create pressure on the dalals to return themoney. The community volunteers contribute greatly in this process. They
are continuously working at the community level to disseminate safe migration information, and assist the brac Migration Program people in organizing community-based awareness campaigns at local areas.
The program expanded its geographical coverage by working in six
smfcs by early 2010. At this point, a migration alliance network National
Alliance for Migrants Rights, Bangladesh (namr, B) was initiated. Namr, B

152

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

started as an informal migration alliance network. The program undertook
several advocacy initiatives separately and jointly with the alliance.
The program went through great transition during the 2011-2012 period. It secured brac’s core fund under the Strategic Partnership Agreement(spa) that continued to support the six smfc-based interventions to promote safe migration. During this period, the introduction of Migration
Loan Program for the migrants was one of the major initiatives of brac. The
program also undertook three pilot projects with the International Labour
Organization (ilo) during this period. These projects aimed to promote
safe internal migration and decent workplace for internal women migrants.
An advisory standardized information package was developed for the local
government and internal migration stakeholders by the end of the project
period (2016). At this time, foreign migrant workers in Libya were facing
crisis situation. The program worked side by side with government in an
emergency response to aid the Bangladesh migrant worker returnees from
Libya. The program also assisted the government in creating a database for
migrant worker returnee from Libya.
Finally, during this period, the program had the crucial change of moving from project approach to that of programmed approach. From early
2013, apart from the ongoing spa-funded project, the program started implementing other significant projects. The program started implementing a
project with Japan Social Development Fund, which was managed by World
Bank. The program again expanded its geographical coverage to ten more
smfcs covering most of the migrant worker-prone areas of Bangladesh.
In this course, the program partnered with eighty local non-governmental organizations (ngos) and community-based organizations (cbos) –under the World Bank fund. The program started to implement UNWomensupported pilot project for returnee migrant workers reintegration support,
specially focused on women. Besides, income generating activities and small
and medium enterprises (iga-sme) skill development trainings were also
provided to the returnees under the spa-funded project. These trainings
developed the capacity of the returnee migrant workers to engage with igasme. In 2015, the program partnered with ilo with a pilot project to develop
the capacity of potential woman migrant workers to avoid trafficking.
The program developed internal capacity with increased human resource; development of comprehensive packages of information, educationand communication (iec) and behavior change communication (bcc) mate-

BRAC Migration Program: A Lighthouse for Migrants

153

rials; creation of migration program trainer pool; and trained a pool of overa thousand community volunteers. The program also initiated communitybased voluntary language school. The program signed a memorandum of
understanding with the government on capacity-building on migration.
In recent years, the program increased advocacy and communication
effort. The program undertook a series of advocacy initiatives engaging thegovernment, migration organizations, journalists, national and international institutes, migration experts, and think tanks. The program revitalized
the National Alliance for Migrants Rights, Bangladesh (namr, B). Besides,
the program also partnered with various international alliances and networks like caram Asia, Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives (capi) located at
the University of Victoria (Australia), and Migration and Development Civil
Society Network (made).
In 2016 brac developed a new plan on comprehensive pre-departureand reintegration support. Since the scope for donor-supported interventions shrank after Bangladesh was declared a lower middle-income country in 2015, only a self-sustaining approach could ensure the continuanceof need-based services for migrants, and the social enterprise approach
fitted in best. Using this approach, the program established a number ofcomprehensive, accessible and authentic service bases in districts prone tomigration.
How the Migration Program Works
The program has a series of services that address three major stages in the
migration cycle: decision-making, pre-departure preparation and reintegration into society.
Safe migration campaigns
The program provides information to grassroots communities throughvarious awareness-raising activities such as interpersonal communication,interactive popular theater (ipt), video show, court yard meeting, miking(loudspeaker announcement), school quiz, pre-decision orientation, daycelebration, workshops, seminars, etc.
The ipt and other awareness campaign activities reveal the real problems related to migration to the people in the community, getting them sensitized about the issues as a consequence. The theater shows are staged at
the grassroots level.

154

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

IPT is part of the popular theater program of brac which has the following objectives:10• To build up awareness against all sorts of crimes/wrongdoings, injustices and corruption in the community;• To stimulate the poor to build up their capacity, self-reliance, andself-confidence;• To promote active participation of the oppressed people of thecommunity in their wellbeing;• To complement in the achievement of the objectives of other ruraldevelopment initiatives of brac; and• To promote folk culture of rural Bangladesh by using theatre in thedevelopment of people.
The ipt team conducts area studies to collect information on local incidents and facts on migration. After the study, they produce an ipt story
based on local incidents. The ipt show entitled Shapno Dekhi Bidesh Jabo
(Towards a Dream) is based on real stories. Currently, more than fifty ipt
teams are raising awareness and disseminating safe migration informationin migrant worker-prone districts of Bangladesh.

BRAC Migration Program: A Lighthouse for Migrants

155

Brac’s theater shows have three major parts as discussed in a report:11
Performing the theatre:
A place centrally located in the village is preferred for thetheatre venue as it is likely to be convenient for all villagers fromany part of the villages to attend the show. The venue is selected
as such that there is enough room for the audiences to sit infront and in sides of the stage. Liaison is made with community
leaders and villagers around the venue so that the theatre canbe held without any disturbance. [Programme Organizer, Social
Development Programme] po sdp and Communication Worker
go around the village and invites everybody they come across
to attend the theatre particularly women. Elected public leaders, local elite, ngo leaders, and government officials all fromtheir and neighbouring villages are especially invited to the theatre. The po sdp compulsorily and other POs, such as PO MicroFinance from the Area Office, voluntarily attend the theatre toassist the team in their performance.
Dialogue session:
At the end of the play a dialogue session is conducted by thebrac staff and theatre team with the audiences. The session infact is the continuation of the dialogue between the players andthe audiences that has already been started during the play. The
session has three dimensions:• An organizer, usually po sdp, of the theatre facilitates
the audiences to express their perspectives, opinions,
responses, and reactions based on what they havewatched in the theatre.
• Any elite like UP [Union Parishad] member, if present
in the session, voluntarily or in response to facilitation
share his/her insights and learning from the theatre.
This is usually done by combining events presented intheatre with the experiences from the villagers.
• The facilitator requires the audiences to get together at aplace next day to hold a community meeting. Facilitator
encourages them to think about the existing problemsof their village and to figure out how the problems canbe resolved/mitigated – issues to be discussed in next
day’s meeting. Post reactions of the audiences about theplay are also recorded.

156

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I CCommunity meeting:
As proposed, next day a sdp-initiated community meeting is organized by the villagers. The objective of the meeting isthat the villagers will make some concrete plan to improve theircondition after being inspired by the theatre they observed. In
the case of the theatres organized by the Advocacy Programme
three community meetings are held. The first meeting is held
following the theatre day, whereas the second and third meetings are held within 7-15 days intervals.

Audio and video materials are both popular and effective tools ofcommunication for rural people. To reinforce the message on migration,
educational video/audio shows are played in the community. Live theatershows, live folk song shows and other tested communication activities are
implemented through the program to sensitize the community about safe
migration.
One study documents the awareness campaigns involving students:12
Starting early awareness on safe migration with school
children
Migrant workers from Bangladesh are relatively young– more than three quarters belong to the 18 – 35 age group.13
Schools are therefore an important starting point for generat-

BRAC Migration Program: A Lighthouse for Migrants

157

ing awareness on safe migration practices. The smbw [Safe
Migration for Bangladeshi Workers] project realized this and piloted an innovation in Narsingdi, a district in central Bangladesh,
where up to 8 per cent of the population works abroad.
Courtyard sessions were carried out by the project in 164
schools, colleges and madrasas, in collaboration with headteachers, to promote safe migration and remittance management, with the participation of 3,726 students of grade 10. This
helped reach aspiring and existing migrants among students’friends and families, and generate awareness. With more community engagement, these children may become the community
champions of safe migration, informing others and ultimately,
implementing safe migration choices in their own lives.
Other activities like workshops/seminars at different levels are organized to inform, sensitize and activate people in different stratas concerning
migration rights. The seminars are held at the national, regional/district,
sub-district and union levels attended by representatives of the government
and ngos, professionals, academics, members of civil society, potential migrants, migration victims, media people and other relevant stakeholders.
The program provides pre-decision orientation workshops for potential migrant workers that enable them to analyze social and economic costs
and benefits of migration as well as other information needed to make an
informed decision. The objective of these orientation workshops is to create awareness among the potential migrant workers on safe labor migration
practices using real life stories. Most of the time, these orientation workshops help migrant workers make the decision on migrating abroad in termsof having better preparation and going through the proper process. Many
potential migrant workers decide not to go abroad after finding out that it is
not profitable at all.
Pre-departure orientation and services
Brac links those who decide to go abroad after the orientation workshops to pre-employment skill development training for better employment
and higher wages in destination countries. The migrant workers and theirfamilies are also given orientation, access to information and referrals to affordable financial instruments to help cover the upfront costs of migration,
including the provision for training, services, information and hands-on experience for improved management and use of remittance. Therefore, the158

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

main objective of this program is to disseminate in-depth information on
how to follow the migration process safely.
The program also offers referral linkages to provide skill enhancement
training at the government Technical Training Centers (ttcs) and otherprivate training centers with the goal of making the migrants eligible forbetter wages as skilled workers.
The brac’s smfcs provide migration services to the migrant workers
such as pre-departure orientation, visa checking, demo registrations, legal
aid support, money recovery through arbitration, support to get compensation for accidental death. Pre-training is provided to selected departing
migrants who do not have sufficient time to attend the batch of countryspecific pre-departure training activities. Through this day-long training,
the participants are oriented on the culture, social environment, laws, rules,
expected behavior and other realities at the countries of destination which
can help the departing migrants handle the new situation confidently.
Departing labor migrant workers receive their visa through various
sources, mostly from dalals. They face huge difficulty and uncertainty to
get their visa check done. Mostly, due to lack of any service provider theymigrate without checking their visa. Often times, they fail to work in the
country of destination because of fake or wrong visa. Hence, it is importantto check the visa before departing to destination countries. The programprovides visa check support at the District and Upazila levels to ensure safe
migration and protect the migrants from vicious failed migration.
Reintegration awareness and services
The program provides economic reintegration support to the migrant
workers through Income Generating Activity (iga) training, enterprise/
new business creation, and training on productive utilization of remittance.
The social reintegration support is provided through individual counseling,family counseling, and community awareness campaign to reduce stigma
and discrimination. Besides, migrants are referred to various service providers for loan support, legal aid support and medical treatment.
Capacity-building of government, media, partners
Brac provides training on human rights and migration to government officials (demo, bmet), journalists and media personnel. It also

BRAC Migration Program: A Lighthouse for Migrants

159

provides coaching support to demo officials at district level for migration
management.
Policy advocacy and local level advocacy through networking
Brac implements an advocacy program at the national, regional andlocal level for the rights of the migrant workers. Brac advocacy efforts areplanned to reduce irregular migration, regulate migration governance andreduce the migrant workers’ vulnerability at home and destination.
Migration Program’s Approaches
Volunteers
The program has reached over ten million people in Bangladesh. This
would not be possible if there were no dedicated volunteer pools. More thana thousand volunteers have been involved in the program. The volunteers
spend time spreading useful messages to people in the communities. They
have been trained as migration program volunteers.
The program volunteers are involved in carrying out different activities
including assisting potential migrant workers in the migration process, assisting migrants in filling up passport form and assisting them in the registration with the demo. They support brac in facilitating behavior change
activities in the community by arranging courtyard meetings, theater androad shows and conducting interpersonal communications (ipc). They disseminate information, education and communication (iec) and behavior
change communications (bcc) materials. They support the program communication workers (CW) and community-based organizations’ (cbo) facilitators in holding mass awareness-raising activities in the community.
They assist in social arbitration process to recover the money of the deceived migrants. Not only these, they also create database of potential andreturnee migrant workers at their respective communities.
The program has developed pools of community-based volunteers byproviding capacity development trainings and orientations on safe migration process. Brac gives priority to returnee migrant workers and theirspouses in selecting the volunteers. The volunteers are trained on various
issues related to migrant workers’ rights and how they can work to assist
migrant workers in various stages of migration. They are trained on how to
inform people about safe migration choice, what necessary process should

160

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

the migrant workers follow and how they can assist the migrant workers infollowing the process. The volunteers also help the migrant workers in reintegration stages and are trained on various reintegration services. They arealso trained on how they can collect information about the returnee migrant
workers so that the program can assist the returnee migrant workers. The
trained volunteers play a great role in protecting the rights of the migrant
workers by informing them about the services that they are entitled to have.
Without the outstanding contribution of the volunteers, the operationsof the program could not have been executed smoothly. The volunteers help
in reaching out to people in the community. They are well-acquainted with
their own localities. They possess a greater knowledge on how to deal withthe local people. They identify the migrant workers who need help, making
the work of the program much easier. They have the capacity to capture people’s attention and make them pay attention to the messages of the program.
They promote safe migration and ensure that the idea of safe migration is
maintained in the community.

BRAC Migration Program: A Lighthouse for Migrants

161

Collective efforts with community-based organizations
The program aims to secure the rights of migrant workers with the participation of the local people. In view of this aim, the program has formed
partnership with eighty community-based organizations (cbos).
These cbos work to protect the rights of the migrant workers and implement activities in conformity with the demand of the community. Brac
helps in building the capacity of the cbos at the initial stage. The cbos subsequently come up with innovative ideas to address the needs of the migrant
workers. This grassroots-level work helps people in their decision to workin other countries. The program collaborates with existing cbos and also
facilitates the establishment of new cbos.
Being local organizations, cbos can identify the problems of the community members more profoundly. As a result, there is greater acceptanceof the cbos by the people.
The cbos act as Migration Resource Centers in the community, a reliable source of information needed by potential migrant workers, migrant
workers and their family members. The most significant task of the cbos
is to provide timely and accurate information to the migrant workers andtheir family members. Under the program, cbos provide monthly, quarterly
and annual reports to the respective smfcs in their areas. They also conduct
workshops, arrange for advocacy and awareness-building activities at the
district level.
Other than uniting people in the community, the cbos contribute inprotecting the rights of migrant workers and managing different types ofservices coming from responsible government authorities and service agencies. They can help recover money through social arbitration at the local
level.
The cbos provide services to people in the community by responding
to their demand. They can act to secure the dignity of the migrant workers. These organizations can link up the victims seeking services to legal
aid authority or any other person/ organization having opportunity to workfor the migrant workers. The cbos can act as key organization at the community level to protect the human rights of the migrant workers and theirfamily members.

162

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I C

Shared responsibilities in protecting the rights of Bangladeshi migrants
There is an urgent need for better policies and practices on protection
measures that ensure the well-being and dignity of the Bangladeshi migrant
workers and family members. The National Alliance for Migrants’ Rights
Bangladesh (namr, B) is a dynamic national network working for the protection of the rights of migrant workers and their families in Bangladesh. It
brings together civil society organizations, community organizations, media organizations and journalists to advocate for the rights of migrant workers in Bangladesh.
Namr, B started in 2010 with the aim of protecting the rights of migrants and creating a platform for the Bangladeshi civil society organizations to support migrant workers. Namr, B is working together with existing civil society organizations to advocate nationally, regionally and globallyfor migrant workers’ rights, policies and practices.
In 2014, namr, B undertook significant steps for policy advocacy endeavors. In March 2014 the alliance organized a consultation on “Way forward to collective efforts for protecting migrant workers’ safety and rights.”
This consultation focused on media report on the violation of rights, risk
and hazards of Bangladeshi migrant workers at the destination countries.
In June 2014, the alliance organized a national level consultation titled“Kafala violating migrant rights: Can fifa help to abolish?” The consultation advocated for the protection of migrant workers through fifa since
Qatar was selected as the host for fifa World Cup 2022. Speakers at theconsultation advocated for the protection of the migrant workers in the Gulf
Cooperation Countries (gcc) through fifa and other international organizations so that they could force the gcc countries to abolish the maleficent
Kafala system14 existing in those countries.
In August 2014 namr, B raised voice to demand justice for the victimsof the Greece shooting incident. The alliance organized a press conferenceat the National Press Club titled “Greece verdict should be reviewed.” It demanded a commitment from Greece to review the court decision acquitting the Greek farmers of human trafficking.16 It also demanded that Greece
ratify the 1990 Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All MigrantWorkers and Members of their Families.
Namr, B is planning to set a new advocacy agenda for the next five
years. It will focus on skills development and reforming the migrant worker
recruitment industry; reintegration of the returnee migrant workers; imple-

BRAC Migration Program: A Lighthouse for Migrants

163

mentation of the Overseas Employment and Migrant Act – 2013 and protection of migrant workers’ rights. brac acts as the secretariat of namr,B
at present.15
BRAC’s Social Enterprise
Brac realizes that merely providing information is not enough to make migration safe for the migrant workers. Therefore, brac has now launched migration support enterprises in three migrant worker-prone districts wherea full 360-degree service - starting from information, language training, andskilling and job placement services - is being provided for a fee. The goal isto reduce the cost and increase the quality of migration.
This migration support enterprise (msep) is providing various services. These include visa checking, providing migration information pack,migration counselling, general pre-departure training, country specific predeparture training, life skills training, trade specific training, direct referrals
for overseas job placement, counselling for returnee migrant workers, andentrepreneurship training. These services will enable migrant workers to reduce their dependence on dalals, which will result in reducing the numberof failed migration, migration cost, harassment and fraud. The msep is designed to become a self-sustaining system in the coming years. This sustainable approach will create a lasting source of authentic and timely support
service base for the migrant workers and their family members near theirlocality. The program has also established language and training centers at
upazila (sub-district) level. These training centers are providing pre-decision orientations, language training, and visa checking and life skills training. They are ensuring the improvement of language and communication
skills of the migrant workers, provide basic information and education, andreduce their vulnerability by reducing their dependence on dalals and otherinformal sources.
These service bases are expected to reduce harassment and vulnerabilities, and ensure safe and quality migration by providing authentic, reliable
and timely support. This pay-per-service approach will also ensure the continuation of service for protecting the rights of migrant workers.
In areas where msep does not exist, the program is implemented. Msep
is an integral part of the program that is launched in areas that are ready forservices that can be provided for a minimal fee.

164

H U M A N R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N I N A S I A - PA C I F I CConcluding Remarks
Labor migration is one of the major tools that Bangladesh employs to eliminate poverty. But the ill motives of some people turned labor migration
into a risky enterprise. It is essential that the Bangladeshi migrant workers
are provided a comprehensive package of information and services that isneeded before leaving Bangladesh and useful while working in their countryof destination. The migration program of brac plays a crucial role as a lighthouse for the migrant workers toward a safe and secure migration journey.
Endnotes
1 Bangladesh: Some Selected Statistics, Appendix 3, Annual Report 2016-2017,
Bangladesh Bank, page 267, www.bb.org.bd/pub/annual/anreport/ar1617/app03.pdf.
2 One report states: “The average value for Bangladesh during that period was3726.55 million U.S. dollars with a minimum of 18.76 million U.S. dollars in 1976 anda maximum of 15366.72 million U.S. dollars in 2015.” See Bangladesh: Remittances aspercent of GDP, TheGlobalEconomy.com, www.theglobaleconomy.com/Bangladesh/
remittances_percent_GDP/.
3 Demographic dividend, United Nations Population Fund, www.unfpa.org/
demographic-dividend.
4 Cited by Abdullah Al Mahmud Shohag, “Demographic dividend: Reality andpossibility for Bangladesh,” The Independent, 22 August 2015, www.theindependentbd.com/printversion/details/12596.
5 See Mustafizur Rahman, Advancing the Interests of Bangladesh’s MigrantWorkers. Issues of Financial Inclusion and Social Protection, October 2015, http://
cpd.org.bd/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Safeguarding-Interests-of-BangladeshMigrant-Workers-Issues-of-Financial-Inclusion-and-Social-Protection.pdf.
6 Aneeka Rahman, An Innovative Approach to Promoting Safe Migration:
Three Lessons Learned from Bangladesh, End Poverty in South Asia, The
World Bank, 30 July 2017, http://blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinsouthasia/
innovative-approach-promoting-safe-migration-three-lessons-learned-bangladesh.
7 International Labour Organization (International Institute for Labour
Studies), Bangladesh Seeking Better Employment Conditions for Better Socioeconomic
Outcomes, 2013, www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_229105.pdf.
8 Soft skill: Life skill, pre-departure skill, language skill
9 Hard skill: Trade-based skill.
10 Mohammad Rafi Hasanur Rahman, “Popular Theatre and BRAC,” Research
Monograph Series No. 40, August 2009, BRAC, page 6, http://research.brac.net/
monographs/monograph_40.pdf.
11 Ibid, Rahman, pages 8 - 9.

BRAC Migration Program: A Lighthouse for Migrants

165

12 BRAC/World Bank, Promoting safe migration through innovation,
December 2016, www.brac.net/sites/default/files/portals/Safe_Migration_through_Innovation_December_2016.pdf.
13 Note 11 of the study: “The Homecoming – Profiling the returning migrant
workers of Bangladesh, ILO, MoEWOE.”
14 Under the Kafala system a migrant worker’s immigration status is legallybound to an individual employer or sponsor (kafeel) for their contract period. The
migrant worker cannot enter the country, transfer employment nor leave the country for any reason without first obtaining explicit written permission from the kafeel.
The worker must be sponsored by a kafeel in order to enter the destination country
and remains tied to this kafeel throughout their stay. The kafeel must report to theimmigration authorities if the migrant worker leaves their employment and mustensure the worker leaves the country after the contract ends, including paying forthe flight home. Often the kafeel exerts further control over the migrant worker byconfiscating their passport and travel documents, despite legislation in some destination countries that declares this practice illegal.” Migrant Forum Asia, Policy Brief
No. 2: REFORM OF THE KAFALA (SPONSORSHIP) SYSTEM, www.ilo.org/dyn/migpractice/docs/132/PB2.pdf.
15 Visit NAMR,B website for more information: http://namrb.net/.
16 Forty-two Bangladeshi workers filed an application with the European
Court of Human Rights (Chowdury and Others v. Greece [application no. 21884/15])
against the Greek government for failing to protect them from human trafficking.
The court ruled that the “Bangladeshis were subjected to forced labour and did
not receive effective protection from the Greek State” which violated the European
Convention on Human Rights provision on “prohibition of forced labour” (Article
4 §2). The workers were also awarded compensation ranging from 12,000 to 16,000Euro each. See “Greece: Human rights court awards €576,000 to forced labour migrant strawberry-pickers,” European Convention of Human Rights, 30 March 2017,www.humanrightseurope.org/2017/03/greece-forced- labour-undocumented- migrant-strawberry-pickers-win- human-rights- complaint/.