The government should bring transparency and accountability in its spending on the welfare of Bangladeshi migrant workers, said speakers at a programme yesterday. 

Expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry collects a huge amount of money from the migrants through Wage Earners' Welfare Fund but spends very little on them, they observed.

Some 4,000 to 5,000 Bangladeshis die abroad every year but the ministry finishes its responsibility by bearing the expenses for bringing bodies only -- though in a few cases, they said.

The representatives of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), an organsiation working on migration issue, made the remarks at a national consultation on “Civil society's shadow report for UN committee of migrant workers”, organised by the Welfare Association of Returned Bangladeshi Expatriates (Warbe) in the capital's Cirdap auditorium.

Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit Founder Chair Prof Tasneem Siddiqui said majority of the workers die at a young age in the destination countries.

However, the government can reduce or prevent these premature deaths if it plays a proactive role in this regard, she added.

“There is a huge amount at Wage Earners' Welfare Fund but the government spends very little money for the migrants' welfare… So, we need to question the transparency of this fund,” said Prof Tasneem, who chaired the programme.

Speaking as the chief guest Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed of the Supreme Court said there is no scope of ignoring the rights and welfare issues of the migrants and their families, as there are many international conventions for their protection.

The justice, however, hailed the government for the formulation of the Human Trafficking Deterrence and Suppression Act- 2012 and the Overseas Employment and Migrant Welfare Act- 2013, and observed that these laws had sensitised the judiciary to take actions against the perpetrators.

Earlier, Nayela Akter, programme officer of Helvetas Swiss Inter-Cooperation, placed recommendations which will be included in a shadow report prepared by the CSOs.

The report will be submitted to UN Committee of Migrant Workers on March 13.

Warbe Director Jasiya Khatoon; Meghna Guhathakurta, a member of national human rights commission; Zahid Hossain, human rights officer of UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh, and Warbe Chairman Syed Saiful Haque, among others, spoke.