Call for paradigm shift in migration to Malaysia

Hailing from Narayanganj, Selim went to Malaysia through 5M International, a Bangladeshi recruiting agency owned by former Jatiya Party lawmaker Lt Gen (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury.
He was supposed to work for an electric company, but he was approved to work for a piling company. After refusing to go initially, he was threatened that he would not get back his money and passport.
“After working for 3–4 months there, I fell ill following an accident. But my company refused to bear the treatment cost. I then contacted 5M International. They also did nothing regarding my treatment,” he said, adding that seven months later he took some money from home and returned to the country.
He was one of the workers who shared experiences at a national dialogue titled “Bangladesh–Malaysia Labour Migration Corridor: Why the Syndicate Prevails, and Exploitation in Recruitment Persists!” after being deceived and harassed by recruiting agencies, high commission officials, and foreign employers while attempting to earn a living in Malaysia.
Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) organised the programme at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in the capital on Monday.