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Dear all,

Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) is organising a remittance festival, Remittance Utshob and Shonar Manush Shommanona 2009 on 10 August 2009 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (formerly China-Bangladesh Conference Centre) from 9 am to 5 pm. RMMRU will honour the small remitters, their family members and other stakeholders who facilitate short term contract labour migration. The awards has been named as "Shonar Manush" to respect their tremendous contribution in the national economy of Bangladesh. Given below are the briefs of the award:

The Shonar Manush Shommanona

Studies have shown that it is the small but frequent remitters who send the majority of remittances to Bangladesh. They are mostly the semi-skilled and lowly skilled workers who go abroad as short term contract migrant workers. The big remitters are rewarded by the Government of Bangladesh as “Commercially Important Persons” (CIPs). The investment instruments currently available in the market generally serve the big remitters or the long term migrants. By undergoing major hardship many of the lowly skilled and semi-skilled migrants have not only transformed the socio-economic condition of their household, they have also contributed to the community development and created employment for others. These migrants are indeed the people of gold of our country. RMMRU has decided to bestow Shonar Manush Shommanona to them. This year priority has been given to those migrants who remitted through the formal channel and invested a section of their remittances in enterprise development.

Shera Remittance Baboharkari Poribar

It is generally perceived that left behind family members of migrant workers misuse a large portion of migrants’ hard earned remittances. This is not the whole truth. Many left behind family members have invested a good section of their remittances in various productive ventures. The number of migrant families who invested more than a crore taka is not insignificant. Many have invested in land. However, some of them have established successful business enterprises. In order to encourage enterprise development by the migrant families RMMRU has decided to reward those who have invested in enterprise and created employment for others. RMMRU deeply feels this will encourage other migrant families to invest in different income generating activities.
Shonar Manush Sheba Shommanona: Migrants’ Right Protection Committee
To make processing of migration and transfer of remittances safe, RMMRU has formed Migrants’ Right Protection Committees (MRPCs) at the Union level in four districts with the help of come local level partner NGOs. Over the years these MRPCs have gradually given voice to the voiceless migrants and their families. Now they provide all kinds of services, ranging from counselling and opening of bank account to introducing potential migrants to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) or to licensed recruiting agencies. MRPCs operational in 56 Union Parishads have been innovative in their approaches in serving the migrants and their families. RMMRU felt that it is important to acknowledge their contribution in establishing good governance in migration.

Shonar Manush Sheba Shommanona: Recruiting Agency

Recruiting agencies play a very important role in processing labour migration. Due to misconduct of a section of agencies the whole industry suffers from an image problem. In order to bring good governance in migration, it is important to acknowledge the role of recruiting agencies as important entrepreneurs of Bangladesh. To encourage the enterprising recruiting agencies, it is important recognise their good practices. This is why RMMRU hue bestowed Shonar Manush Sheba Shommanona to the committed recruiting agencies. Male-female ratio and skill level of workers sent abroad, commitment to development of the sector and status of complaint against the organisation have been the criteria for selecting the best performing recruiting agencies.

Shonar Manush Sheba Shommanona: Bank

RMMRU has been working with different institutions to promote better services to the migrant workers. In the past grass-roots level bank officials did not think serving the migrants or their families as an important part of their responsibilities. Since 2002 RMMRU started training bank officials on better management of migrant workers' remittances. It has linked them with MRPCs at Union levels. Now these bankers are providing better service to these clients. In order to encourage these grassroots level bankers RMMRU has decided to honour them with Shonar Manush Sheba Shommanona.

Follow the link for the Poster and Invitation Card of the Utshob :

http://www.rmmru.net/events/Remittance_Festival/poster_Invitation_card.htm

We will appreciate comments from the visitors.

Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU)
3/3-E, Bijoynager, Sattar Bhaban (4th Floor)
Dhaka-1000
Email: rmmrubj@aitlbd.net
www.rmmru.net