Recently, more Bangladeshi and Nepali migrant workers have died abroad than before. An increase in migrant mortality has been reported from countries as varied as the Middle East to Malaysia. Both the Nepal and Bangladesh Governments are deeply perturbed by an ominous uptick in fatalities among their valued workers, whose crucial remittances help fuel domestic economic growth. Unlike the unconcerned Indian press, mainstream media in Nepal and Bangladesh have devoted much space of late to analysing why more of their citizens working abroad are facing premature fatalities. What makes policy-makers in the ‘sender’ countries particularly uneasy is the fact that the sudden death of an earning migrant leaves a deeply negative impact on not only the individual’s household but cumulatively dents the domestic economies as well.
There is a good reason why official concern is more acute in Nepal than say in Bangladesh or India. It so happens that the component of remittances within the national GDP is the highest in Nepal, standing at around 25-28% in recent years. In comparison, the figure for India is only just over 4-5%, and for Bangladesh, it is 5-7% or so from 2017 onwards. Although Nepal has a much smaller population than India or Bangladesh, the job opportunities at home are also fewer. Leaders and policymakers in the South Asian countries must acknowledge that working conditions for migrant workers have worsened sharply in recent times, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global lockdown. Moreover, thanks to the prolonged unrest in West Asia, Afghanistan and Europe as well as an upsurge in international migration, a general climate of anti-migrant sentiment can be seen resurfacing in most advanced countries. Travel agents confirm that this has also led to greater exploitation of the average Asian migrant worker and stiffer work conditions in countries ranging from Greece and Italy to the Middle East.
A Kolkata-based trade union leader feels that the Government of India too should look more seriously into the issues that plague migrant Indian workers abroad. Apart from major health hazards, migrant labourers now face more highhandedness, discrimination and exploitation from employers. The number of body bags sent back to Bangladesh was 2,907 in 2020 and 3,652 in 2021. Over the past decade, over 4.21 lakh young migrants have died. As for Nepal, two is the average daily death toll for Nepalis working abroad. During the last decade, according to estimates from different agencies, at least 7,650 Nepalis died at work abroad. Perusing the personal histories of most victims, a common but tragic explanation often emerges. All over South Asia, migrants from rural areas take large loans from local recruiters to cross borders. Some sell their homes and property for the same, hence most of these workers come to foreign shores already burdened with a huge loan, plus an urgent need to send money home to their dependents. For poorer migrants, occasional contact with the local consulate may help marginally. However, tangible assistance going beyond counselling is sorely lacking. Most human rights groups in Nepal and Bangladesh have urged their respective Governments to empower local consulates financially to help workers facing dire situations. After all, despite their economic hardships, the struggling migrants helped Nepal earn USD 8.1 billion, while Bangladesh received USD 15.5 billion and India a whopping USD 78.6 billion as remittances in 2018.
