DHAKA, Dec 19, 2017 (BSS) – Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday underscored the need for ensuring safe migration of workers from the country on legal channels to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Home Ministry, Foreign Ministry and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry are working together to ensure migration of workers on legal channels and to prevent human trafficking,” he told a discussion marking International Migrants Day here.
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc chaired the discussion at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, President of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies Benjir Ahmed, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Bangladesh’s Deputy Chief of Mission Abdusattor Esoev, UN Women Country Representative Shoko Ishikawa, Wage Earners Welfare Board (WEWB) Director General Gazi Mohammad Julhas and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry’s Acting Secretary Dr. Nomita Halder also spoke.
The home minister said the government is continuing an awareness-raising campaign at the grassroots to prevent human trafficking and ensure migration of workers on legal channels.
Separate counters or desks have been set up at the airports to collect information for providing different facilities for expatriate workers after returning home, he added.
Nurul Islam BSc said the government is working to develop the skills of workers in accordance with the world labour market aiming at ensuing safe migration for sustainable development.
A project for setting up technical training centers in all upazilas has been taken to create skilled manpower, he added.
Eight students, who are offspring of expatriate workers, were given scholarships in four categories on the occasion. In all, 1,230 students got scholarships in 2017.
Earlier, a message of the UN secretary general marking the International Migrants Day 2017 was read out in the function.
The discussion was followed by a musical soiree.