State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed has identified 14 districts as the main sources of illegal migration from Bangladesh.
She said the government, under the Prime Minister’s leadership, is coordinating with Italy and Libya and working with the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare to curb the illegal migration problem.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Bangladesh Parliamentary Caucus on Migration, Rights and Development at the Westin Hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday (4 November), Obaed said meetings have already been held with the Deputy Commissioners of the 14 districts.
The DCs have been tasked with building a grassroots social movement against illegal migration so that ordinary people are not deceived by false promises and so that brokers operating at district, upazila and police-station levels can be identified and stopped.
The new parliamentary caucus aims to protect the rights of Bangladeshi migrants, promote safe migration and strengthen Parliament’s role in sustainable development related to labour mobility.
Obaed noted that many people from her own constituency — Faridpur, Madaripur and Shariatpur — try to reach Europe illegally via Libya and the Mediterranean.
“They are thrown into the middle of the sea and die. Those who make it are also in distress,” she said.
She stressed that the current parliament, elected by the people and committed to multiparty democracy, will work across party lines for the welfare of migrant workers and remittance earners. Referring to the history of the sector, she said the expatriate labour programme was begun under President Ziaur Rahman and that the BNP’s concern for migrants comes “from the heart,” not from political calculation.
Since taking charge, Obaid has received numerous complaints from MPs about the difficulties faced by Bangladeshi workers, particularly in Russia and the Gulf countries. For the first time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has opened a dedicated Migration Wing that works closely with the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare.
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On migration costs, she pointed out that legal migration from neighbouring Nepal costs only Tk 1.5–2 lakh, while in Bangladesh many people sell land or savings and pay Tk 15–25 lakh because of middlemen.
“Legitimate businessmen are being harmed by brokering. We must address this,” she said.
Obaed added that the BNP government’s core manifesto commitment is job creation, both at home and abroad, through skill development and safe, skilled migration.
Special emphasis is being placed on language training — including Chinese, Japanese and Arabic — to improve workers’ job security. The ministries of Education and Expatriates’ Welfare, along with vocational training centres, are being reformed for this purpose.