74pc Bangladeshi migrant workers facing mental strain in pandemic

About 74 per cent of the Bangladeshi migrant workers are facing mental stress following impact of Coronavirus pandemic, according to a Brac study.

The leading development organisation conducted the study on 558 migrant workers, who returned home from their job destination countries during the pandemic.

The findings were shared through a press release on Saturday by Brac in observance of ‘World Mental Health Day’.

It is necessary to ensure mental health services to the workers to help overcome their metal stress, it said.

The theme for World Mental Health Day 2020 is 'Mental Health for All: Greater Investment – Greater Access'.           

Brac has taken a campaigning and counselling programme about mental health of migrant workers at the 12 migration-prone districts in observance of the day. 

Shariful Islam Hasan, head of BRAC's migration programme, said people generally overlook their mental health. Especially, the mental health of migrant workers is more ignored in the country.

So, they face different types of difficulties, he said.

“We talked to the returned workers and observed that a majority of them were living in anxiety,” he said adding that the workers should be provided with mental health supports.

Such a service will help the workers to turn back, he thinks.        

According to him, his organisation provided mental health services to about 2,000 returned migrant workers in the last three years.

Besides, nearly 3,000 returnees have received Tele Counselling service from Brac during the pandemic, he added.   

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