Dhaka: Services for migrants should be made more accessible and effective as there is no room for compromise, says a senior government official on Tuesday.

Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Rownaq Jahan made the remark during the inauguration of five renovated migrant welfare desks at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA).

The welfare desks, capable of serving 12 migrants at a time, were renovated with support from UN Migration Agency, IOM under the EU-funded Programme ‘Prottasha – Bangladesh: sustainable reintegration and improved migration governance’.

According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) of the government of Bangladesh, there have been 1,008,525 migrants who went abroad for employment in 2017. 

Welfare Desks at the arrival and departure lounges of international airports are key service points for migrants. Information and services regarding visa, emigration clearance, etc. are provided through these desks, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

“The EU supports initiatives in partner countries to strengthen their capacity in all relevant areas of migration management,” said EU Ambassador Rensje Teernik.

“Welfare Desks can play a vital role in facilitating safe migration and sustainable reintegration,” said the Head of the EU Delegation to Bangladesh.

“Access to accurate and timely information at all stages of migration is a basic right of the migrants,” said IOM Bangladesh Chief Giorgi Gigauri, “It starts from mainstreaming rights-based policies to having the right kind of infrastructures that meet adequate service delivery standards.”

Over the past decade, migration became a major contributor to the Bangladesh’s economy. 

Around USD 13.5 billion was the level of income remittances in 2017, making labour migration one of the key component strategies for improving socio-economic conditions.