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Bangladeshi expatriates have placed a 15-point demand, urging the government to ensure dignity, protection, and fair treatment for migrants.
Their demands were presented at a press conference at the ERF auditorium in the capital on Saturday.
The event was jointly organised by Jatiya Tarun Sangha, Worldwide Kaba Foundation, and Europe Expatriate Bangladeshi.
On behalf of Bangladeshi migrants in Europe, Syed Riaz, a foreign investment analyst, said Bangladesh had received a record $30 billion in remittances in the last fiscal year, covering nearly 45 per cent of import payments and bolstering foreign reserves.
"Migrants are the backbone of our economy. Yet, they face harassment, neglect, and bureaucratic hurdles at home and abroad. This cannot continue," he said.
He urged the government to act swiftly, saying, "Ignoring migrants' rights is a betrayal to the nation. Their contributions have kept our economy afloat."
The demands presented by expatriates include better institutional support from embassies and government agencies.
They called for 24/7 hotlines and help desks at the Bangladesh embassies, faster passport renewals, and certificate services.
They also demanded non-partisan embassy services with no middlemen, along with fast-track immigration counters at airports and district-level migrant service centres at home.
To ensure economic security and incentives, expatriates sought a minimum 5.0 per cent incentive on remittance transfers and easy loans for returning migrants.
They further demanded inclusion in the government pension scheme and preferential opportunities for migrant families in jobs and economic benefits.
Md Fazlul Haque, founder and chairman of Jatiya Tarun Sangha; Osman Gani Kamal, a Greece-based expatriate businessman; and Md Mezbaul Islam, a Singapore-based businessman; attended the function, among others.
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