Virus closes door on 100k Bangladeshi migrants

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Mostak Ahmed had his bags packed and was prepared to fly to Saudi Arabia in February this year after securing work in the Kingdom.

But six months on, the resident of Bangladesh’s Munshiganj district told Arab News on Wednesday that instead he's struggling to repay money that he borrowed to finance his move.

“I borrowed $4,000 from a local organization at high interest and was set to fly to Saudi Arabia to are a cleaner. However now I am repaying the loan instalments without earning a penny.

“I have had to borrow funds from relatives. I don’t understand how long I can survive such as this,” Ahmed said.

He said the coronavirus pandemic hasn't only “crushed his dreams” of an improved future abroad, but also left him without home based.

Ahmed is among almost 100,000 aspiring Bangladeshi migrant personnel stuck in limbo and facing an uncertain future as a result of outbreak and travel bans imposed by most countries.

Bangladesh is among the key labor sources for the Gulf and the Middle East, while more than 10 million workers are used across the world.  

In line with the Bangladesh Manpower Employment and Training Authority, the united states sent a lot more than 180,000 migrant personnel to many countries between January and March this year, including 130,000 to Saudi Arabia - the destination of preference for Bangladeshi migrant workers.  

Many aspiring migrants said that they had either sold their properties or borrowed money, hoping to repay the loan if they began working overseas. 

Abdul Hannan, a resident of the Noakhali district, said he sold the last piece of his ancestral land for $5,000 to secure work in the UAE. 

“My flight was said to be in the first week of April. But now everything is uncertain as my employer asked me to remain at home for few more weeks for the reason that business isn't going well,” Hannan told Arab News, adding that he's unsure what will happen “if finally I can’t fly to the UAE.”

He is not by yourself.

Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies, said a lot more than 85,000 aspiring migrants are in a similar situation. 

“Most of these personnel are facing extreme hardship after arranging money to travel overseas. They can’t await an indefinite period shouldering a huge debt,” Noman told Arab News. 

He added that the very best solution is to refund workers to greatly help ease their financial stress.

“These workers ought to be repaid the money if indeed they can’t fly soon. But our members can’t do so as they have spent the money. We've urged the government to supply soft loans for industry operators,” he said. 

The Bangladesh government said it really is maintaining connection with host countries so aspiring migrants can start work as soon as the pandemic is in order. 

Jahangir Alam, joint secretary of the Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, told Arab News the response has been “positive.” 

“We are getting positive responses from the UAE and Qatar regarding our migrants. We hope to get a good response from Saudi Arabia the moment they overcome the pandemic situation,” he added. 

Shariful Hasan, head of Bangladeshi NGO BRAC’s migration program, suggested the federal government take extraordinary measures to ease the plight of migrants.

“Those who have already paid money to become listed on employment overseas should take priority when the situation returns on track,” he said. 

Bangladesh’s economy has taken a battering because the start of the pandemic with a fall in remittances, the second-largest way to obtain revenue worth a lot more than $18 billion last year.
Source: https://www.arabnews.com

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