Corpses of three expatriate workers came back to Bangladesh in November and the cause of their death was stroke. Of the last ten years, the highest number of workers from overseas came back to the country in a coffin in 2018.
Due to long working hours, living in unhygienic conditions, separation from relatives and the pressure of repaying loans, which was taken to go overseas, create a relentless strain on their minds.
Organisations which work with expatriate workers are now deeply concerned and an in-depth look into deaths of expat workers in the last four years show that 80 per cent died suddenly.
Due to a variety of reasons, workers face mental strain and eventually suffer strokes or heart diseases.
It’s found that most workers work 12-18 hours daily, live in crammed conditions and worry about repaying loans.
Foreign Welfare Desk at Hazrat Shahjalal airport informs that between 2009 and 2017, the number of dead workers sent back is below 3,000 which went up to 3,057 in 2018.
The highest number of dead bodies of expat workers came back from Saudi Arabia with 1,008 followed by Malaysia with 672.
The families of deceased migrant workers get Tk 35,000 from the airport for burial and Tk 300,000 later as financial aid.
Head of BRAC Migration Programme, Shariful Hassan, told Bangla Tribune, “On average, 8 to 10 dead bodies are coming to Bangladesh every day; in the last one decade, 36,000 bodies came back with 61 per cent from the middle-east.”
“I feel that migration expenses are linked to these deaths,” he said and added, “Since workers spend a lot of money to go abroad, the tension to recoup that amount always haunts them.”
To save money, they often eat unhealthy food which takes a toll on their health, he added.
Chairman of migrant worker development programme, Shakirul Islam, said, “The work condition is a critical issue because most live in risky conditions.”
The government has to ensure that they are working in a standard environment. Researcher of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit, RAMRU, Dr Jalal Uddin Sikder, says, “Those in robust health should be sent abroad.”
Saying that workers going overseas face tremendous stress, he said, “In addition, there isn’t any entertainment for the workers.”
The garment factories in Jordan under the International Labour Organisation, ILO, organize picnics and cultural shows for expat workers.
“Only paying the monthly wages is not enough, a conducive working environment will have to be ensured which will offer entertaining respites.”