‘Enforce existing laws for legal protection of female migrant workers’
Speakers say at a virtual workshop
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Speakers at a virtual workshop stressed the need for proper enforcement of existing laws to ensure legal protection of female migrant workers.
They also sought necessary services from the government offices to help overcome current pandemic crisis. United efforts from civil society and the government are also crucial to brining the migrant women workers under legal facilities, they observed.
Migrant rights campaigners, officials were speaking at the workshop online on ‘Wage Earners Welfare Board Act- 2018’ on Monday. It was organised by Bangladesh Nari Sromik Kendra (BNSK).
Representatives from some 46 District Employment and Manpower Offices (DEMOs) attended the web-based orientation.
Shirin Lira, IBP manager and Inclusion Adviser- PROKAS delivered welcome speech while Sumaiya Islam, executive director of BNSK moderated the programme. Officials, among others spoke there.
Sumaiya Islam said workers are not getting easy way of access to justice. So, it should be found way out that they can get their due legal protection.
Advocate Sipra Goswami, presented power point on the WEWB act. She explained different important section of the acts.
Among the panelists Anchita Ghatak, director, Parichiti in India said women domestic workers are also not getting due rights in their country.They are deprived of wages and others basic benefits.
Tapati Saha, National Program Analyst of UN Women said The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has mentioned about rights and discrimination of women.
Hamidur Rahman, director general of Wage Earners' Welfare Board () said they have taken different initiatives to give supports to the migrant workers including women.
They have provided Tk 1.0 million to different missions abroad to meet emergency of vulnerable migrant workers, impacted by Covid-19 pandemic.
The WEWB also gave Tk 5000 to each returned workers at the airport as cash support.
Mr Rahman said they are working to implement more projects to ensure facilities of women migrant workers.