The government has decentralised the arbitration service at three districts so that outbound workers can receive legal support without hassle.
Allegations have it that many workers face sufferings following malpractices by recruiters.
Last month, expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry ordered three district employment and manpower offices (DEMOs) in Chattogram, Cumilla and Narsingdi to receive complaints and settle those through arbitration.
The government has introduced the service with the support of the Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers' Association (BNWLA) to provide this legal aid for free.
Currently, workers have to come to the manpower bureau in Dhaka to register fraud complaints.
From now on, officials said, workers from the three districts will get scope to lodge complaints and take remedy in their own regions.
Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) director general Md Shahidul Alam said they are primarily delivering the service at three migration-prone districts.
The BMET seeks to extend legal support to all districts, he told the FE.
"If we get more support from human rights organisations, we can proceed to introduce the service at others districts," Mr Alam said. According to BMET data, workers lodged 528 complaints against different types of harassment and frauds in 2021. Of them, 240 were settled and Tk 18-million compensation was recovered for victims.
On the other hand, the BMET received 1,240 complaints in 2022, and it settled 339 and recovered compensation of more than Tk 16 million.
Insiders said the number of complaints may increase in the coming days as the arbitration service has been decentralised in three more areas.
Each year, 0.6-0.7 million workers go abroad with jobs. Of them, many (male and female workers) are cheated by shoddy recruitment agencies in different ways.
But many of them from rural areas fail to seek legal recourse through arbitration for reasons like distance and financial crisis.
BNWLA president advocate Salma Ali said they would like to start this support service at three DEMOs soon.
She said most of the migrant workers live outside Dhaka. When they fall prey to fraud or torture, it becomes tough for many to come to Dhaka for legal aid.
With this end in view, they have taken this initiative to support the state-run DEMOs, Ms Salma added.
"We'll recruit trained lawyers there and adequate legal aid will be provided to the victims," she mentioned.
If someone needs arbitration, the lawyer said, it will be settled through arbitration, adding that in case of any litigation is needed, a case will be filed.
When asked, Ms Salma said, "We intend to extend this legal aid to every district if we can arrange necessary funds. In this case, the government can help us."
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