Health and well-being in south-south migration: a case study of Bangladeshi workers in Mauritius

Bangladesh relies heavily on remittance from migrant workers. Mauritius has become an attractive work destination for Bangladeshi workers due to its industrial and cultural similarities. These workers are uneducated, low skilled and cheap. For them Mauritius represents the opportunity to earn a better living and alleviate poverty back in Bangladesh. However they are subjected to lower wages, long working hours and poor housing. They face major integration problems including little social interaction and xenophobic sentiments. They are deprived of proper legal support, health care and occupational safety. These are often masked as general exploitation without specific consideration of impact on migrants' health and well-being. Nevertheless, the Bangladeshi government has renewed its bilateral agreement to send more workers to Mauritius. This project posits that there is an urgent need to address both policy and practice vis-à-vis the health and well-being of Bangladeshi workers in Mauritius. It is designed to firstly assess the current situation of Bangladeshi workers in relation to health and well-being and secondly to bring together a multidisciplinary and multifunctional set of stakeholders from private, public and third sectors who will be able to contribute to research and create policy-related impact for Bangladeshi workers in Mauritius.

This project is funded by the Scottish Funding Council