Migrant rights campaigners have urged the government to mention the middlemen's role in the draft rules of the Migration Act 2013.
They also placed a five-point-recommendation to incorporate in the proposed draft. The recommendations are recognition, regulation and registration of the middlemen, defining their responsibilities and fixing the fees they will charge for sending workers abroad.
The recommendations came on Monday at a dialogue on 'Regulating the Role of Middlemen for Ethical and Fair Recruitment of Migrant Workers' at CIRDAP Auditorium in the city.
However, officials told the FE that the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment has already made the draft of the recruiting agents license and conduct rules. They said it will be sent to the law ministry for vetting within a week.
At the dialogue, the rights bodies have argued that the roles of middlemen or sub-agents cannot be ignored as workers cannot go abroad without their involvements. But the middlemen should not be allowed to act 'whimsically' in sending workers abroad as migrants are cheated in many ways because of irregularities and malpractices by them.
WARBE Development Foundation (WARBE DF) organised the event where workers, middlemen and government officials were also present. WARBE DF Chairman Syed Saiful Haque moderated the programme.
He said that the middlemen's role was not mentioned in the act properly. Their role should be made clear in the draft rules.
He also requested the authorities to take opinion from the stakeholders before finalising the rules.
Saiful Haque also stressed the need for stopping visa trading with the view to preventing the middlemen taking undue advantages from the host countries.
But manpower recruiters expressed mixed reaction over the proposal placed at the dialogue to recognise the middlemen.
They said migration cost may be go up further as the involvement of middlemen or sub-agents in different stages of the process of recruitment may be increased.
Kafil Uddin Majumdar, Welfare Secretary of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), said it is not easy to bring the middlemen in the legal structure as multiple agents are working in a process of recruitment.
"How many middlemen will be brought under regulation? Middlemen are also working in host countries. So what will be the mechanism to regulate them?" he posed the questions.
Shirin Lira, IBP Manager and Gender and Social Inclusion Adviser of PROKAS under British Council said it is easy to say middlemen should be left out of the process. But they play vital roles in sending workers abroad, she said.
"So they should be brought under regulation and given recognition," she added.
Nurul Islam, Director, Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) said the proposed rule can define the middlemen's role. He said the 2013 Act also mentioned the activities of middlemen.
He said they will make mandatory one month's training for workers in pre selection level to ensure quality migration.
Massive awareness is also necessary to ensure fair recruitment practices, he added.
Jasiya Khatoon, WARBE DF director presented a power point. She said they received some 'common' complaints like brokers not sending the workers abroad after taking money from them.
Migrants also often complain of not getting jobs as per the contract signed by the recruiting agencies, she added.
Razequzzaman Ratan General Secretary of central committee of Somajtantrik Sramik Front, Joint Secretary Sazzad Hossain and executive committee member Lima Begum of BAIRA also spoke at the programme.
