Covid-19 and experiences of return of BD migrants from ME

Bangladeshi migrants waiting to return from Egypt. Wikimedia Commons

Executive summery

Bangladesh has a large migrant population serving in various countries of the world including the Middle East. Like other migrant groups Bangladeshi migrants have also been adversely affected by the pandemic. In destination countries many suffered from food insecurity, lack of hygienic shelter and lack of income. A large segment was deprived of their due wages and other entitlements. A section was forced to work for longer hours or was given the unfair choice of accepting lower wages or return home. They lacked access to COVID-19 test and treatment. There have been instances in which despite having valid work permit and visa, a number of them were involuntarily returned to Bangladesh.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic many returned home, some on own accord, others involuntarily. With a view to explore their repatriation process, this study assesses the situation of Bangladeshi migrants in the Gulf countries during the COVID-19 crisis and examines the repatriation process including immediate reasons for return and the factors that led to the repatriation of workers. The report analyses the factors that played a role in facilitating the return of the Bangladeshi migrant workers from the Gulf states, their visa and job status and work and living conditions prior to their return in the post-Covid 19 situation. It also deals with support they received from countries of destination and Bangladesh missions, the process of repatriation, and experiences in the post-repatriation phase in their home country The study assesses the immediate response of the governments in the countries of destination as well as of Bangladesh.

This study involved a mixed methods approach that substantiated the quantitative data with qualitative information. In doing this, a questionnaire survey among the 300 returnee migrant workers (292 male and 8 female) was conducted. It was followed by in-depth personal interviews of 30 returnee migrants. The survey participants were reached through RMMRU’s partners in four districts: Tangail, Dhaka, Cumilla and Faridpur. A quantitative overview using the survey was connected to qualitative information collected through narratives and personal interviews.

Migrants covered in this study returned from almost all Middle Eastern countries. 29 percent returned from Saudi Arabia, 23 percent from Kuwait, 19 percent from Qatar, 14 percent from the United Arab Emirates, 4 percent from Oman, 2 percent from Bahrain, 2 percent from Lebanon, 1 percent from Jordan and 7 percent from other countries in the Middle East. The demographic profile of Bangladeshi returnee migrants from the Middle East reveals that the most of the returnees were below 40 years of age. 86 percent returnee migrants were married at the survey time. Except one returnee migrant, all had left their family members in Bangladesh. They did not have strong formal educational background. Only 14 percent had higher secondary education,38 percent had secondary education, 33 percent had primary education, and 15percent did not have any formal education at all.

The highest number of returnees worked in the construction sector, followed by those who were employed in hotels and restaurants and driving. More than half lived in accommodation provided by the employer. A sizeable number of migrants had to return home as they lost their job. Another major group were those who came on annual leave, but did not have much hope to return. An important finding was the vast majority had to return despite having valid visas.

The returnee migrants’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the country of destination reveal that they were substantially dependent on their employer /Kafeel for accessing quarantine and sanitisation facilities and completing the reparation process. Almost half of the respondents stated that they would approach the employer if they experienced any COVID-19 symptoms. Fearing likely backlash from fellow migrants and also of employers, almost one-fifth of the participants stated that they would refrain from approaching anyone if they had experienced such symptoms. A very small segment reported that they would be in touch with the appropriate authority such as hospitals or police in such cases. More than half of the migrant workers did not have any access to protective items.

An important finding of the study is that as many as three-quarters of respondents did not receive wages regularly after the outbreak of the pandemic. Non-payment or irregular payment of wages became pervasive. COVID-19 had disrupted the employment opportunities of the workers. Three-quarters of the respondents informed that they could not continue with their work and a quarter of those who did had to settle for reduced wages. Almost half of the returnee migrants were involuntarily returned or deported. Of this cohort, more than half were deprived of their due wages and other entitlements. The returnee migrants also expressed mixed feelings about their employers’ treatment during COVID-19 period. They also expressed disappointment about the Bangladesh embassy’s services while registering the migrants.

The post-arrival experiences of the returnee migrants in Bangladesh inform that more than two-thirds had not received any protective item such as mask, sanitiser or gloves upon arrival in Bangladesh or in the flight. The health screening system at the airport was not functioning properly. Even the scanner was out of order for a certain duration. Almost a third reported not having to go through any screening at all. They also resented insensitive treatment of officials who were staffing customs and immigration desks. Only a little more than a tenth of the returnees were provided with some basic guidance about protection measures from COVID-19 and the need for staying at home quarantine for a 14-day period. A section of those who were provided with the guidance adhered to it, the rest did not pay heed. The small number of migrants who had to attend institutional quarantine informed the facility to be far from hygienic and clean. Poor quality of food and services, and lack of maintenance of toilets,

became sources of major discomfort for the inmates. The disrespectful treatment of the facility staff was pointed out by most returnee respondents who had to endure institutional quarantine. Almost all returnees stated that they did not receive support from any quarter after they arrived back home. The lack of work opportunities at home and other forms of support to re-integrate in Bangladesh has been the prime reason for four-fifths of the respondents to consider to remigrate.

This report concludes by offering some policy recommendations. The findings of this study are expected to help policy makers and other stakeholders to initiate dialogues and take meaningful actions for better protection of migrant workers. Although this study is not statistically representative, the qualitative interpretation of the findings may help reduce the migrant workers’ vulnerability in case of future pandemic situations. - Bangladesh repatriation study by MFA (Migrant Forum in Asia) and RMMRU (Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit)