Annual report 2015.. Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP)
Migration should be Choice, not Necessity
Labor Migration has become an alternative livelihood option for thousands of Bangladeshi people on the context of huge influx of laborer in the local market each year. In 2015, a total of 555,881 Bangladeshi joined in overseas jobs mainly in the middle east countries, amongst those 18.65% are women. In 2015, we have provided different forms of direct assistance and services to around 73,455 migrant workers both men and women at different stages of migration under several projects supported by our partners and donors. Apart from regular actions, in this year, our most significant intervention was the concentrated response to the Andaman sea crisis. We published a study on the issue in June 2014 based on our ground experiences in several project areas and tried to draw attention to the media and the concerned stakeholders who unfortunately paid a deaf ear. Our another significant foot-step of 2015 is to bring migrants HIV/AIDS concerns into the regional discourse through creating space for migrants as one of the key population groups for the first time in the 9 th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and Pacific (ICAAP). We do appreciate our partners/donors, stakeholders at all levels, committed workforce in OKUP and above all the migrant workers worldwide who effort hard in alien working ambience for the sake of left-behind family and the country. Shakirul Islam, Chairman Omar Faruque Chowdhury, Executive Director
73,455 people reached At pre-departure level, OKUP intervened numbers of activities to educate and empower potential migrant workers, their families and communities. These include door-2- door meeting; outreach infotainment campaigns, pre-decision orientation, pre-departure training etc. In addition, the migrant workers can get access to information and direct services i.e. online application for passport, verification of job contracts, visa and other necessary documents; assistance in acquiring migration loan and other necessary services through OKUP Ovibashi (migrant) Helpline and Migrant Information and Service Centers (MISCs) from five sub-districts. 4 In 2015, a total of 73,455 people directly received services from OKUP. 20,905 mass people received migration related basic information through outreach campaigns; 26,293 potential migrants received migration related information through door-todoor meetings. On the other hand, 4,611 potential migrant workers received pre-decision orientation and 936 Lebanon-bound domestic workers received 7-day residential training. The database of the direct beneficiaries shows a total of 19,534 migrant workers or their family members took assistance from the project-run Migrant Information and Service Centers (MISCs) while 1,176 beneficiaries took information from the Helpline (excluding calls to the project offices).
5 Over the years OKUP has developed partnership and cooperation with local NGOs, Bangladeshi Migrant Communities, Embassies etc. in Lebanon, Jordan and Malaysia under different projects in order to extend legal redress, shelter and necessary services on-site. Several staff exchange activities especially in Lebanon have been conducted to identify service providing local NGOs, Bangladeshi migrant communities, Bangladesh embassy to build cooperation and referrals for emergency services to the vulnerable migrant workers. Through these partnerships two-way referrals have been introduced. OKUP on the basis of requests from migrants family or the migrants themselves assisted in filing cases to the Welfare Board and/or the Bangladesh embassy on one hand and referred the cases to the local NGOs especially in Lebanon and Malaysia on the other. In contrary, local NGOs, Bangladesh embassies/high commission or Bangladeshi communities referred repatriation cases to OKUP for onreturn social and economic reintegration supports. In 2015, OKUP referred 55 cases to the destination countries while OKUP received 42 cases from them. Amongst the referred cases to destination countries, most of the requests were repatriation on the ground of different forms of abuse and exploitation. Majority of cases referred from the destination countries were women migrant workers who were critically sick, detained or who stayed longtime in the NGO s shelters for the redress. 97 referral cases
6 In case of return and reintegration, some 500 migrant workers have been assisted and supported in 2015. The assistance and services include airport pickup, family reintegration, shelter service, health treatment, legal aid and economic reintegration support. The services are provided through referrals by partner organizations in the destination countries, Bangladesh embassies and/or Bangladesh communities. On the other hand, migrant families also seek repatriation assistance through OKUP field workers, migrant networks, OKUP Migrant Information and Servicer Centers (MISCs) and Ovibashi Helpline. 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 383 458 18 21 36 Airport Pick-up Shelter Health treatment Legal aid
Aiming to foster sustainable development in regards to protection and defence of migrants rights through unity, cooperation among each other and uplifting migrants voice in the migration discourse, OKUP has undertaken various initiatives. In 2015, a total of 103 small group meetings were organized with 1,289 primarily identified returnee migrants and the female spouses of the current migrant workers in four project areas. Amongst those, 343 people participated in the daylong orientations which aimed to understanding the concept of organizing, unity and leadership; importance of unity, expectations and interests out of the unity etc. 7
8 In 2015, OKUP has conducted two studies on the issue of migrants HIV/AIDS concerns (i) Migrant Workers Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, and (ii) Policy Review: Mandatory Health Test of Migrant Workers. The first study aims to explore issues and contexts that increase migrant workers vulnerability to HIV; and also to bring the issue in greater discourse and recognition at all levels to influence policy change and appropriate HIV responses for the migrants. The aim of the policy review is to bring forth the discriminatory policy and laws affecting the health of migrants for greater attention and discourse in order of promoting wellbeing of the migrants and their families. Another important study was Opportunities for Improved Support and Assistance for Bangladeshi Migrant Workers in Lebanon. The study has aimed to establish the potential improvement of support and assistance for Bangladeshi migrant workers in Lebanon particularly women domestic workers through the diagnose of understanding of extents of abuse and exploitations faced by the Bangladeshi domestic workers, limitations in access to support and asssitance on one hand and to find opportunities for cooperation and collaboration among local NGOs, Bangladesh Embassy and the migrant workers communities keeping in mind their existing support and services for the migrant workers in Lebanon.
9 The research explored out of 71 women who were recruited in Lebanon under a particular employer as domestic worker, 53 women (74.65%) took the risk of running away of their employers house due to different forms of abuse and exploitation which include inadequate food, physical torture, less salary, no rest, no day off, no salary at all over months and years, excessive and forced work in different houses of the relatives of the employers, sexual abuse, lack of health treatment etc. The research data demonstrated that 81.70% women domestic workers had not seek redress assistance who either had no idea about the concerned authority to make complaints or negative perception of not getting assistance, or they had other difficulties like confinement in the house, no permission of using telephone, language barriers etc. Those who had managed to make complaints somehow, 84.71% experienced no assistances; who took assistance from the local police or the Bangladesh embassy confined them further in the shelter for months after months to get justice, however, staying in the shelter was again a nightmare for them, some women said. With all its latitudes and longitudes, the research has brought forth several issues from policy change initiatives to the improvement of cooperation and collaboration among local NGOs, Migrant Communities and Associations both in Lebanon and Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Embassy in Lebanon in order to maximize available Support and Assistance for Bangladeshi Migrants Domestic Workers in Lebanon.
10 In the wake of mass grave of migrants in Thailand-Malaysia border, OKUP, with other local and international organizations, took numbers of initiatives to respond to the crisis. These include consultation, workshop, human chain, awareness campaigns, fact findings, press conference etc. On the other hand, a group of victim families were assisted in filing cases to the National Human Rights Commission for immediate actions to rescue their family members. Apart from those, OKUP jointly with other organizations organized a Road-march in Dhaka- Narayanganj-Narsingdi on September 12, 2015. Thousands of people including the trafficked victims and their families, members of migrant forums, human rights defenders gathered in several points of the road-march route and expressed their strengths and solidarity against the vicious cycle of human traffickers. Numbers of trafficked victims shared their own traumatic experiences on how the traffickers from their own community pushed them to the obvious death. Hundreds of parents and families did demonstration and urged to the government to find out their
11 beloved members who were trapped to join in the deadly voyage to Malaysia and are still missing over months and years. They strongly placed demands for appropriate compensations for the victims and families, and repatriation of those who are still detained in different jails and shelters in Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand. Prominent Human Rights Activists Hamida Hossain, Acting Executive Director of Ain O Shalish Kendra Nur Khan Liton, Sultan Uddin Ahmed of BILS, representative of CARAM Asia and Bhalobashi Bangladesh Harun Or Rashid, OKUP Chairman Shakirul Islam and Executive Director Omar Faruque Chowdhury participated and spoke in the road-march. Different media both print and electronic duly covered the road march. Speakers in the road-march strongly demanded appropriate measures by the concerned authority to arrest all culprits and human traffickers engaged in the process; bring them under the law; and ensure appropriate punishment. They all called for creating social movement against human trafficking in every village, union, upazila and district.
The comprehensive intervention approaches undertaken by OKUP made a solid impacts on the lives of hundreds of Bangladeshi migrant workers. The community-based pre-departure interventions made empowered the potential migrant workers including women to negotiate with the local brokers. A quick impact assessment of randomly selected direct beneficiaries among the participants of predecision orientation and/or predeparture training shows 60% have changed decision of not to migrate considering the financial loss-profit factors and the risks and vulnerabilities. Amongst them, 72% took decision by own while the members of families helped 28% to change their decision. 44.45% women have already engaged in alternative livelihoods joined in the garment factory or started home-based sewing activity. This is to note that the project staffs helped these women to find job or to get sewing machines from the government schemes. Another seven (7) women are looking for livelihood opportunities at home. The assessment also showed that 66.67% have already started small savings. 12 Najma (26 years old unmarried woman of Narayanganj district) decided to go abroad like others to help her poor father. When she had talked to a local broker and gave 30,000 taka as first installment for migration process, she encountered one of OKUP s field workers at her courtyard. Najma said she gave me information on safe migration, and invited to join OKUP s pre-decision orientation. She told about risks and vulnerabilities of unsafe migration, and the malpractices of many brokers. I found the information very logical and became interested in attending the pre-decision training. When the broker came to know that I was going to attend OKUP s training, he tried to stop me but I didn t listen to him; I joined the training.
13 The training proved to be very helpful for Najma: I had never heard about things like contract paper, recruiting agency before, and I had never thought of analyzing the cost and benefits of migration. I also didn t know that the actual migration cost for women is so low, and that the Bangladesh government is sending women to Jordan and Saudi Arabia without any fees. I was not aware of the actual cost of receiving a passport as well. She soon started using her newly acquired knowledge to claim her rights: Having attended the training, I got very conscious of my rights, and asked the broker for my visa and contract paper. However, he refused to give me the papers. I repeatedly requested until he finally stopped answering my phone calls. At that point, I understood that I had been deceived by him. Still, I feel I am lucky because I got the training, and know how to go abroad in a safe way. I could have been trafficked by middlemen, or other harm could have come to me. Najma added she had made new passport by her own without any assistance of the brokers and has been processing other documents for migration under the government s initiative. Najma said, migration is helpful for poor women like me, but it should be safe and informed. Many women are bringing positive changes to their lives through migration. Still, many women do not have sufficient information to go abroad safely. Rijia, a widow, went to Lebanon in December 2014 in search of a better life for her children. She paid 60,000 taka to the broker for getting domestic work. Upon arrival she was forced to engage in sex work. She managed to go to the agency office and requested to change her employer but the agency people took her to the employer again saying that she was bought by the employer so she must stay there. She used to be locked when the employer went out. Being unable to tolerate such torture three months later Rijia ran away from the employer s house.
14 One Lebanese police assisted her to go to the Bangladesh Embassy which put her at CLMC s shelter. The CLMC took initiative to get redress for Rijia and assisted her in repatriation through referral to OKUP. OKUP received Rijia at Dhaka Airport, brought her to the shelter, provided psychological counseling, and health treatment. OKUP called her family members and reunified with them. OKUP also assisted Rijia s family to file case against the recruiting agency through collecting necessary documents even a letter from the CLMC as evidence describing Rijia s condition in Lebanon. OKUP also assisted Rijia to find alternative livelihood for sustainable income generation. Rijia is living a normal live now.
15 - Initiating a global approach in supporting and empowering migrants throughout the migration cycle and asylum seekers and refugees in Lebanon supported by EC in partnership with Caritas Luxembourg - Promotion Safe migration and rights of Bangladeshi migrants Phase II supported by Luxembourg government in partnership with Caritas Luxembourg - Community-based Interventions for the empowerment of women: building knowledge, awareness and strengthening government mechanisms to promote safe and informed migration and prevent labour trafficking supported by UKaid in partnership with ILO - Access to Justice of Bangladeshi Migrant Workers in Malaysia supported by SDC in partnership with CARAM Asia - Support and Service Programme for Bangladeshi Migrant Workers supported by DFID in partnership with MJF - South Asia Middle East Access to Justice Project supported by SDC in partnership with GAATW - Integrated Services of safe migration, HIV prevention, and care for migrant workers and families supported by RCNF in partnership with CARAM Asia We received a total of BDT 28,865,299 in 2015 for these projects which is 14.52% increase to the year of 2014.
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17 Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) was formed as a platform of returnee migrants in 2004 aims to building unity and empowerment among the migrants to promote migration by choice and to protect rights and dignity of migrant workers across the borders. OKUP is registered with NGO Affairs Bureau since April 24, 2008 vied Reg. No. 2343. OKUP has been working in 14 sub-districts under nine districts include Dhaka, Narayangong, Munshigonj, Narsingdi, Faridpur, Brammanbaria, Sylhet and Sunamgonj under several projects. Apart from those, OKUP has established Peer Network in other migration-prone districts including Chittagong, Cox s Bazar, Khunla, Satkhira, Jessore, Mymensing, Sirajgonj, Tangail etc. Our mission is to promote enabling environment for all migrant workers in order to promoting and protecting human rights and labour rights of the migrant workers irrespective of gender across the border through putting migrants in the centre of migration discourse at all levels through unity, capacity enhancement, and leadership development. Our objectives are: Reducing migration related risks and vulnerabilities with the focus of labour trafficking throughout migration context Extending direct supports and services to the migrant workers through migration cycle including health and HIV/AIDS Organizing migrant workers and raising migrants voice and perspective into migration discourse Promoting sustainable development of migrants and their communities Carry out participatory action research and advocacy
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Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) Sawdagar Garden, 4 th floor, 466, Post Office Road, Nayapara, Dania, Jatrabari, Dhaka 1236, Bangladesh Tel: +88 02 755 3737; Mob: +88 01819 224308 Email: okup.ent@gmail.com; www.okup.org.bd f:www.facebook.com/okupent