Migrants Rights to Information and Services

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Title of project: Migrants Rights to Information and Services (MRIS) Program

Donor: Refuge and Migratory Movements Reach Unit (RMMRU)

Goal: Established migrant’s right to information on migration processing and to bring good governance in migration management

Specific Objective:

Major objectives of the project are:

Increased access of migrants to existing services required to manage different stages of migration.
Improved quality of services provided to migrants by different government institutions
Improved access of migrants and their families to bank and other financial institutions
Increased relevant stakeholder on various issues of migration.

Duration: January ‘2010 to February’ 2013

Location & Target Coverage:

Name of District Name of Upazilla No. of  union/Ward No of Village Categories direct Indirect Total
 

Chittagong

Sitakund Baraiyadala 46 Male 50 2550 2600
Pourashava
Muradpur Female 15 500 515
Kumira
Mirsarai Mirsarai 45 Male 50 2300 2350
Khaiachara
Hayetkandi Female 15 400 415
Shairkhali Total 130 5750 5880

Background: Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, the population density according to 2004 figures stood at 790per sq km. Growing at the present rate of 2.08%per annum, there will be a net increase of 50.14 Million by the year 2020. This alarming increase is obviously having a major impact on the issue of unemployment.
The labour force survey of 1996 by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) showed that the employment rate was 34.6% in 1995-96, and magnitude of the problem was greater in rural areas standing at 37091%,as opposed to 19.6% in urban areas. The Magnitude of employment has more than doubled in the last decade, increasing from 17.1% in 1983-84,to 34.6% in 1995-96,The situation has further deteriorated because of the high growth rate of the labour force is increasing at a rate that cannot be accommodated by the youth employment rate.

In spite of these alarming indicators young people from Bangladesh are earning a huge foreign remittance that makes a significant contribution to foreign exchange reserves. This was made possible by our migrant labour force working abroad, mostly in other Asian countries and in particularly, the Middle East. As noted earlier, due to the employment rate being much higher at rural and sub-urban areas, most of these migrant labours come from these socio-economic settings. Fact is, the bulk portion of our labour force have a very limited literacy and skill level and have therefore, migrated as unskilled labour. Not only that the country depends on them for foreign exchange but hundreds of thousands of families also rely on them.

Like Others part of Bangladesh, the sub-urban and rural part of Bangladesh also employs significant number of migrant labours to the above mentioned areas in sitakund 53% of the families and in mirsarai around 59% of thr families have migrating family members working as labour abroad. Due to their limited literacy level, unavailability of relevant information and proper consultancy service, most of these migrants labour suffer from more or less the same problems. These includes, cheating by the middleman, fake and unregistered travel agencies and bankers in the name of free visa, steady job and other facilities. Moreover, some social leaders and government officials are also heard to be taking advantage of their lack of knowledge.

Major Activities:

Create and Collect the demand for loan from migrants
Information collect from four banks about loan opportunities for migrants (migration and investment)
Information collect about remittance status and account holder (migrants) in quarterly basis from local bank
Collect and prepare data on complains of migrants (online and form distribution)
Circulate and collect the information from applicant for scholarship (skill training per MRPC -1  minimum 50 applicant)
Increase the uses and services of Demo officials for migrants (registration, visa check, online complain, claim compensation etc)
Publicity for award of successful migrants and process the application and selection RM, MF, SM.
Disseminate different IEC materials in the targeted areas.
Display drama, Banner or others materials on utilization of remittances, loan facilities, online complain etc.

Target & Achievement:

Activities Target(11-12) Achievement(11-12)
Communication with Bank Officials (Project area) 46 Times 87 Times
MRPC Monthly Co-ordination meeting 72 72 Meeting
Information Collect about Remittance status form bank 24 Banks 26 Banks
Counseling & Servicing in migration process 220 220Counseling
Leaflet ,poster& busier distribution 8500 11578 pcs
Counseling by DEMO Official 20 20
Legal aid Support by MRPC on going 32
Film show on going Completed=12 
Utahan Baythak 65 Completed=70
Organize Making for awareness working area people 25 Completed=31
Supported for passport prepared On  going Completed =85
Supported for Visa Check On  going Completed =73
Communication & Institutive for  Bank Loan On  going Completed =29
Sharing  meeting & Ifter Party  with local leader & MRPC 00 Completed =02
Sharing  meeting with School Teachers 10 Completed =10 
Day Observation
International Migrant day
01 Completed =02
 Skill Training Scholarship Fair 01 Completed =01
School Orientation 05 Completed =05
Sharing  meeting with Local level Journalist 02 Completed =02
Tea Stall Meeting Completed =6
 Selection for Skill Development Scholarship training 20 Completed =20
Sharing  meeting with Bank 01 Completed =01

Future Plan:

Ensure safe labor migration and increase remittance flow:

Ensure safe labor migration of the people who want to be migrated of the project area through creating awareness among them by implementing different activities e.g. community meeting, discussion meeting, meeting at market, film show,exhibition,folk song,drama,miking with the co-operation of migration right protection committee of the project area. At the same time, by implementing those activities at the project area, to increase remittance flow through ensuring uses of banking channel for sending remittance from abroad and collection of it by migrant, migrant family and those who want to be migrant.

To ensure migrants’ loan and investment:

Ensuring migrants’ investment through implementing foreign investment project to create attraction among people who are abroad for the loan and towards investment by different programs with the co-operation of banks in the project area and MRPC committee, Expected Migrant, migrant family, returned migrant. At the same time, to ensure proper use of remittance by the migrants at the project area.

To ensure BMET service &related sectors:

To ensure safe labor migration at the project area through ensuring different services like BMET service for the deceived people who want migrant ,return migrant and the migrant who died abroad that means online complain,Govt. financial support for carrying after death activities, BMET database registration and through co-operating  the migrant people for migration in a proper way.

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