Baseline Survey Report 2014 Promoting Migrants Rights and Livelihood of Potential & Returnee Migrants and their Families in Bangladesh Supported by: THE SURVEY TEAM Abdur Rofi Syed Saiful Haque MD. Faruque Ahmed Baseline Consultant Chairman Secretary General AWO International e.V. Ahsan Habib Rifat Tanjila Moinuddin Ahmad Accounts Officer Project Coordinator Information & Fundraising Coordinator COMILLA TEAM Jafar Ullah Sabina Akter Safayet Hossain Team Leader Social Mobiliser Field Organiser & Counsellor & Adviser RAOZAN TEAM Rahul Talukder Morsheda Akter Mainul Islam Team Leader Social Mobiliser Field Organiser & Counsellor & Adviser TANGAIL TEAM Sirajul Islam Nazma Akter Subrata Sarker Team Leader Social Mobiliser Field Organiser & Counsellor & Adviser ACKNOWLEDGMENT WARBE Development Foundation would like to appreciate We are grateful to Mr. Abdur Rofi, who worked with us as a the generous support provided by the AWO International Consultant and has given us his valuable time during data e.V. for the project named “Promoting Migrants Rights and collection, report writing and conducting workshop for this Livelihood of Potential and Returnee Migrants and their study. We also grateful to the field assistance provided by Families” under which this study was carried out. The the AWO project staff who assisted us during and through- content and information presented in this report do not and out the survey. should not be interpreted as the official standard of AWO International e.V. in Bangladesh. We also acknowledge the administrative support provided to the study team by WARBE DF Senior, Central and Field This study is a product of the efforts and contributions from level project staff. I would also like to express my special several individuals and institutions. We gratefully appreciate thanks to AWO International e.V., especially to Mr. Felix the officials of the various national departments who collab- Neuhaus, and Mr. Arjun Gurung for providing excellent orated in this study and the Project Coordinator, MISC Team support for implementing this project in Bangladesh and Leaders & Counsellors and field level staff of the three through WARBE Development Foundation as local partner. project areas: Tangail, Comilla and Chittagong, who provid- ed conducive environment to facilitate the implementation Sincerely, of the study in the fields. Syed Saiful Haque Chairman WARBE Development Foundation Dhaka, Bangladesh Baseline Publication 2014 Baseline Survey Report-2014-WARBE DF 01 1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WARBE DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION: The Welfare Association for the Rights of Bangladeshi Emigrants (WARBE) Development Foundation has been established by Bang- ladeshi returnee migrants in order to enhance the status of the migrant workers, to ensure the recognition of their Rights and to foster the link between safe migration and the socio-economic development of Bangladesh. It is a non-profit, non-government organisation which was founded in 1997 and has been registered in 2007 under the NGO Affairs Bureau of Bangladesh, bearing no. 2281. Since its establishment, WARBE DF has been implementing a number of developmental projects related to safe migration with different reputed International NGOs and donors and have represented Bangladesh in different International Networks and Forums. WARBE is now implementing a safe migration project titled “Promoting Migrants Rights and Livelihood of Potential and Returnee Migrants and their Families in Bangladesh” in three major migration prone areas named Comilla, Tangail and Chittagong districts in Bangladesh with the support from AWO International e.V., Germany. In 2013, a pilot project was carried out successfully and the full project initiated from 1st January 2014. 2. AWO-WARBE SAFE MIGRATION PROJECT BACKGROUND: Migration has become an important emerging sector in Bangladesh and plays a significant role for the economic development by receiving remittances. In 2013 alone, it contributed almost 11% of total GDP in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a major labour sending country in the world. Being a member of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), most of the workers migrate to the Middle Eastern coun- tries. According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), over 5 million Bangladeshis’ migrated in the GCC states from 1976 to 2011, mainly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Every year, an average of 226,439 Bangladeshis’ leaves their country for overseas employment. In 2013, migrant workers have sent US$ 14.26 billion through legal channel1. According to BMET a total 51.31% migrant people are less skilled, 15.00% were semi-skilled and only 2.52 % are professional2. Bangladeshi migrants had to spend highest recruiting cost for migration. A study showed that, a migrant worker needs to spend around US$ 2,000 to 2,500 for migrating to Middle East3 for a two to three-years contract job. Thus, safe migration has now become a big challenge for the migrant workers since a large number of people faced exploitation and distortion of information by middlemen or unscrupulous recruiting agencies. Migrants often face difficulties in the host coun- tries like, forced labour, abuse, low wages, lack of social protection and benefits and esteem and experience deplorable working conditions. It is often reported migrants sending remittance through ‘hundi’, a risky and an illegal channel. 1. Bangladesh Bank Annual Report 2013, www.bangladesh-bank.org 2. BMET Database, 1976-2013, www.bmet.gov.bd 3. The Daily Star, March 19, 2013, Sustaining gains from labor migration, www.thedailystar.net Baseline Publication 2014 Baseline Survey Report-2014-WARBE DF 02 To identify the behaviour of these irregular channels and to raise awareness among the existing, returnees and potential migrants, WARBE Development Foundation has conducted a baseline survey with the support of AWO International e.V. in May 2014. The major objective of this project is to ensure safe migration, protecting migrant rights as well as to develop sustainable livelihood for potential, returnee and family members of the migrants. The project is aimed at creating equal access to knowledge and capacity development trainings and activities, awareness raising meetings, remittance management meet- ings, pre-departure trainings, and advocacy and counselling services for the migrants. Besides, the project has also been focused into identification of labour discrimination, abuse, cheating, and exploitation by unscrupulous middlemen of the recruiting agencies for the purpose of ensuring safe migration. 3. TARGET POPULATION: The major target populations of this project are the potential and returnee migrants and their family members, different govern- ment officials i.e. DEMO, DO, UPO and BMET. Thus, for identifying their needs, institutional shaping of different social structure, and fixing target as per project plan and log-frame; the baseline study has conducted its survey among the following target people: Potential and outgoing migrants Returnee Migrants Left behind family members of migrants A questionnaire survey was carried out among 300 House- holds (HH) in the three project areas i.e. Comilla, Tangail and Chittagong where each district covered 100 HH. 4. PROJECT GOAL: PROJECT IMPLEMENTING AREA(S) To ensure the migrants rights and improve their family livelihood. 5. PROJECT OBJECTIVES: Increasing safe migration Improving the financial situation of the migrants and their families and re-integrate the returnee migrants in their communities. The government supports the migrants and the migrants enjoy the benefits of revised Overseas Employment & Migrant Worker’s Act 2013. 6. PROJECT IMPLEMENTING LOCATION: The project is now implementing its activities through Migra- tion Information and Support Centres (MISCs) in three major migration prone areas of Bangladesh - Tangail, Comilla and Raozan (Chittagong). Figure 1: Geographical locations of target areas. Baseline Publication 2014 Baseline Survey Report-2014-WARBE DF 03 7. BASELINE SURVEY STUDY: 7.1. Study Objectives: Assess the level of safe migration process, regular channel and migration cost. Assess the present socio-demographic and -economic situation of the targeted migrant households and communities. Assess the status of community participation especially the target groups in different social structures. Assess and identify the current livelihood options and opportunities, income, remittance utilisation of the target communities. Assess the status of present legal support from BMET, DEMO, UPO and other stakeholders for the victimised migrants. 7.2. Study Areas: The Figure 1 in page 3 represents the geographical areas of the project’s target locations where the baseline study was carried out –Tangail, Comilla and Chittagong (Raozan Upazila). These areas are selected due to high frequency of annual migration occurring than anywhere in Bangladesh. The graph below shows the district-wise migration scenario in Bangladesh (Source: BMET, database, 2013): 10 - 16% COMILLA 8 - 10% CHITTAGONG 6 - 8% TANGAIL 4 - 6% B’BARIA 2 - 4% % OF MIGRANTS DHAKA 0 - 2% CHADPUR Figure 2: District-wise migrants in Bangladesh, 2013 7.3. Study Methodology: To analyse the safe migration scenario and socio-economic condition of migrant families in the target communities, both qualita- tive and quantitative data collection procedures have been followed in this baseline survey. The sources of data were collected from the three target locations: Primary data: Face-to-face interview with randomly selected respondents from the target group and filling up questionnaire.