Sylhet Bureau

Under the Improved Sustainable Reintegration of Bangladeshi Return Migrants (Pratasha-2) project, a workshop on safe migration and reintegration of foreign migrants under the BRAC migration programme was held at the meeting room of South Surma Upazila Parishad on Tuesday.

Under the chairmanship of Dakshin Surma Upazila Executive Officer Urmi Roy presided over the workshop. Chairman of Upazila Parishad Md. Badrul Islam spoke as the chief guest at the workshop. Upazila Parishad Vice Chairman Md Mahbubur Rahman, Female Vice Chairman Irene Rahman Koli, Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Mohammad Alim Ullah Khan spoke as special guests.

District Coordinator of BRAC Anik Ahmed Apu conducted the workshop. Assistant Director of District Employment and Manpower Office Md. Nazmus Saqib, Sylhet Women Technical Training Center Principal Asif Aziz, Upazila Medical Officer Dr. Shahidul Islam, Upazila Election Officer Abul Hasnat, Secondary Education Officer Md. Zafar Ahmed , Upazila Social Service Officer Abdul Muntakim, Fisheries Officer Sunanda Rani Modak, Dakshin Surma Press Club President Jahangir Alam Musik, Former President Ashraful Islam Imran, General Secretary Sharif Ahmad, Daudpur Union Parishad Chairman Atiqul Haque, Assistant Upazila Youth Development Officer Md Shafiqul Islam and others spoke the workshop.

Officials of private offices, journalists, public representatives, representatives of civil society, expatriates and immigrant forum members. Subhashish Debnath, Sylhet MRSC Coordinator of BRAC Migration Program presented the main paper in the meeting. He told everyone present at the meeting about the goals and objectives of the Expectation-2 project and said, 'BRAC has been working for a long time so that Bangladeshis who have returned from abroad can turn around socially, mentally and economically after coming back to the country. The BRAC Migration Program has been working at the field level since 2006 to ensure safe migration and stand by foreign returnees. During the period from 2017 to 2022, BRAC has implemented the first phase of the project and has now started the second phase.

In the speech of the chief guest, Upazila Parishad Chairman Md. Badrul Islam said that those going abroad should be made aware of safe migration. This requires awareness activities involving the public. In addition, if the experiences of those who have returned to the country after being cheated from abroad are shared with the travelers, the potential travelers will also be able to understand the real picture and make a decision.

He also said that there is less chance of having problems at work if you go abroad knowingly. People from our area get lured by brokers and go abroad without checking anything and face many problems there. In the end, he lost everything and was forced to return to the country empty-handed.' That is why he called upon everyone to work to increase awareness among the public.

Sylhet's Dakshin Surma Upazila Nirbahi Officer Urmi Roy praised the activities of Project-II project to ensure the sustainable reintegration of foreign-returnees. Those who are going abroad for work must go abroad in the right way by learning the language of the country and the work they are going to do.