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Deaths of migrants in the Gulf: Was the World Cup fever affected?

Nowshin Noor
28 Apr 2023 17:22:46 | Update: 28 Apr 2023 17:27:23
Deaths of migrants in the Gulf: Was the World Cup fever affected?
This photo taken on May 21, 2022, shows workers fixing a sidewalk in the capital Doha, ahead of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup — AFP Photo

November 2022, the bustling city of Dhaka is swept up in a football frenzy turning the whole city into a sea of flags. The 20-million-metropolis is in football fever, yet, Bangladesh has never qualified for a world cup.

Football is the ultimate form of entertainment for these residents, and every four years, it divides the country into two halves. Since the 1980s, particularly two South American teams — Brazil and Argentina — have gained immense popularity among the crowds. The halls of Dhaka University seem to be in a competition to outdo each other with the affixing of metre-long flags of these two football giants. Football fever in Dhaka knows no bounds. The excitement can be felt everywhere, from five-star hotels in Gulshan to the tea stalls of the neighbouring Korail slum, regardless of social status, the seats get booked for the highly anticipated matches. However, despite the critical global debates regarding the death tolls of migrant workers and human rights abuse of labourers, the World Cup celebrations in Bangladesh show no signs of slowing down.

Bangladeshis constitute one of the largest migrant groups working in the low-wage sector of the Gulf countries. Popular destinations include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, and other Arab nations like Lebanon and Jordan. The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports that nearly 2 million people from Bangladesh leave their homeland every year for work abroad. This workforce is responsible for bringing in 6-7 per cent of the country's total remittance, which was equivalent to a staggering $21 billion in 2021 despite the pandemic's restrictions. Overseas employment has an enormous impact on the local economy, but unfortunately, Bangladeshi migrants are often paid less than their counterparts from neighbouring states. Nevertheless, the big question remains: why do so many Bangladeshi workers go to the Gulf, even though they receive less pay compared to workers from other nations?

One major reason why Bangladeshi workers flock to the Gulf is that the region seeks low-skilled manpower. “The problem of Bangladeshi workers is that they lack high end skills, as a result they get into ‘Dirty and Dangerous’ jobs,” says an ILO staff member in Dhaka. Therefore, they often accept low wages and head to the Gulf, turning Bangladesh into an open market for GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries. However, the per capita remittance of neighbouring Indian and Filipino workers is often higher than that of Bangladeshi workers due to the former’s competence in soft skills. Filipino workers, for instance, are highly fluent in English, while Bangladeshi workers often struggle with the language. Additionally, with a massive population in the country, many people in Bangladesh are unemployed, which forces them to take up jobs in the GCC countries, even if the pay is less. These are the push factors for Bangladeshi migrant workers, and employers frequently take advantage of their situation by violating their basic human rights.

Though there is very limited data available on the number of deaths of Bangladeshi migrant workers in the Gulf, this figure has been increasing since 2016, with a significant rise in 2020. A recent report by the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) highlights the devastating reality, with over 10,000 recorded deaths from 2016-2022 across various Gulf countries. Despite these grim statistics, the number of migrants leaving Bangladesh for a better life remains unchanged. Perhaps the hope for a better life fades away all the potential risks associated with it.

Qatar, in particular, saw more than a thousand Bangladeshi deaths during the World Cup preparations. Most of this workforce was involved in the construction work of the grandeur infrastructural developments witnessed by the tourists during the World Cup. Workers who built the Al-Bayt stadium, where Germany and Spain met at the preliminary rounds, are still waiting for their wages today. Nonetheless, people continue to take this path as the modest minimum wage in Qatar is far higher than what people in Bangladesh earn even in a higher-skilled job.

Many Bangladeshi migrant workers work long hours, even overtime, just to pay off the loans they took to travel to their work destinations. According to a 2020 report by the ILO on "Migration Cost Survey in Bangladesh," it takes a worker’s 17.6 months' worth of salary to go abroad for work. With such high expenses, it is hard for these workers to save any money. The report also shows that Bangladesh has the highest expenses for employees in the world. Even though the ILO states, “There should be no cost to the worker, cost should be borne by the employer,” the situation in our country is quite the opposite. Recruitment agencies take orders from employers, but the workers bear the cost of health insurance, airfare, and other expenses.  Moreover, middlemen within these agencies make the system more expensive for employees going abroad for work.

The plight of migrant workers from Bangladesh in the Gulf is a serious issue that demands attention. It raises the question of whether anything can be done to address this systematic violation of human rights. “Strong legal protection mechanisms both at the country of origin, and at the destination country are needed," says an ILO Bangladesh staff. A government representative stressed the importance of providing workers with easy-to-use complaint mechanisms. “To protect these vulnerable workers from exploitation, the government should make it easier for them to access justice,” he reiterated. Collaboration with private sectors and civil society organisations (CSOs) is also crucial, as CSOs work to raise awareness. As a long-term solution, international cooperation can be initiated by establishing Labour Welfare Wings in embassies to address issues related to cross-border labour migration.

In a country where the harsh realities of labour migration are often swept under the rug, discussing football appears to be a more comfortable option than addressing the issue of abuse. Despite the euphoria surrounding Argentina's championship victory, leading to the opening of the Argentine embassy in Dhaka, we must not overlook the tragic fate of the migrants buried in our homeland who lost their lives while seeking a better future elsewhere. It is time to have an honest conversation about this heartbreaking topic, even if it is uncomfortable.

 

The writer is serving as the lead coordinator of Poriborton Legal, a pro bono legal wing of Poriborton Kori Foundation registered in Bangladesh. She can be contacted at [email protected]

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