brand logo

The mass brain exodus

21 Nov 2021

  • The factors pushing local talent to seek outside opportunities
By Sumudu Chamara Although the increasing number of people planning and attempting to leave the country due to various reasons is a pressing concern, this could merely be the beginning of more issues; on the one hand, those leaving the country for employment opportunities face a plethora of issues as far as their human and labour rights are concerned, and on the other hand, brain drain is an issue that can lead to severe national-level crises. In this context, Sri Lanka should promptly look into not only the existing social, political, legal, policy, and economic environments, but also major attitudinal changes among politicians or authorities and the people. The complexity of social and economic realities associated with migration were explained at a discussion held by the Aithya and Right to Life organisations last week, which was joined by University of Peradeniya Sociology Department Head Dr. Kumari Thoradeniya, Attorney-at-Law (AAL) Lakshan Dias, and Rata Wiru Foundation General Secretary Wijaya Undupitiya as speakers, and AAL Dulan Dissanayake as the moderator. Migration: Reasons and pros and cons Speaking at the discussion, Dr. Thoradeniya explained the sociological aspects of migration, identifying four types of migrations on the basis of the reason a person decides to migrate (to another country). They are economic migration (migrating to find better employment or business opportunities), social migration (migrating with the hope for better living conditions), political migration (migrating to escape political issues or war), and environmental migration (migrating due to sudden, long-term, or severe environmental issues).  She noted that in the first three types of migration, usually people compare the situation in their home country or region after learning of the situation of other countries though the media, and tend to choose the option they think is better, and that even though sociologically it is a normal situation, it could lead to adverse impacts on the country’s economy. Speaking of political migration, she pointed out that political issues are one of the major reasons people tend to leave their home country or region, mainly because it has a direct impact on other factors pertaining to the state of life. Dr. Thoradeniya, speaking of the “push factors” (factors that make people want to leave a place or escape from a situation), stated that generally, the most prominent push factors are lack of services, lack of safety, high crime rates, crop failure, drought, floods, poverty, and war. She said that some of the said factors are interconnected. Speaking of Sri Lanka’s situation, she noted that even if people were economically capable of purchasing the goods they need, if it is physically difficult to purchase what they need, it becomes a factor that influences people to consider leaving their home country/region, and that queues (in front of stores to purchase goods) create a fear in people, even when they do not have to face that issue at present. She stressed that at the end of the day, even if people had money, money alone cannot create a sense of security.  The “pull factors” (factors that make people want to go to a certain place or be in a certain situation) she highlighted were, higher employment, more wealth, better services, safety or less crime rates, and political stability. She noted that in 2020 alone, globally, there have been 281 million international migrations, and that the most sought-after destinations include Australia, Switzerland, Canada, Norway, the US, and the UK. The highest numbers of emigrants were from India (15.9 million), Mexico (12.5 million), Russia (10.4 million), China (9.7 million), Bangladesh (7.2 million), Syria (6.2 million), Pakistan (5.9 million), Ukraine (5.8 million), the Philippines (5.4 million), and Afghanistan (4.9 million). While 36% of them had left their home country with the hope of ensuring their family’s welfare, 20% of them had migrated seeking employment opportunities. Around 4% had migrated to obtain education, and another 4% had migrated seeking asylum. Those who had migrated due to other reasons constituted 36% of the total number of persons. Dr. Thoradeniya added that according to the “Brain Drain Index”, which ranks countries from 0 (lowest emigrations) to 10 (highest emigrations), the top 10 countries facing issues relating to brain drain are Samoa, Jamaica, Palestine, Somalia, Eritrea, El Salvador, Albania, Guyana, Syria, and Haiti. She added that Sri Lanka is in the 46th place (6.7 points), which she said shows a higher rate of brain drain. Analysing the statistics during the past few years, she noted that at the end of 2007-2009, brain drain had declined, and that after 2011, it had increased drastically and is now declining again. Speaking on Sri Lanka’s situation, Dr. Thoradeniya pointed out several points in history when people left the country. They are after gaining independence from the British colonisers in 1948, after the introduction of new national language reforms in 1956, in the 1970s after new government economic policies were introduced, after 1983 with the escalation of ethnic conflicts, and after the 2000s due to educational purposes. Explaining the reasons that have led to more migrations in the recent past, she said that frustration (both in the post-war context and in the current political situation), less opportunities, and economic hardships, can be identified as the main reasons. Adding that people hoped the money spent for the war would be spent for other services (after the war), she opined that there is however a question as to whether that happened, and that even though it is not possible to say that the entire (governing) system has collapsed, the people feel that they have not received what they expected. In some cases, according to her, it was impractical policies that rendered people helpless. She said: “Even though there are opportunities, access (to those opportunities) is not at a satisfactory level. Not only the rich, even those from middle-income social classes and rural areas are also considering leaving the country.” According to her, migration is not always bad or good, as far as its impacts are concerned. She added: “In the Covid-19 situation, some of the countries that produced migrants are receiving high levels of remittance. Among the top five recipient nations are India ($ 83 billion), China ($ 60 billion), Mexico ($ 43 billion), the Philippines ($ 35 billion), and Egypt ($ 30 billion. If emigrants send money back, there are benefits, but if they do not, there is an issue.” Explaining the negative impacts of migration, she added that in the case of professionals and experts, the situation is worse because in many cases, Sri Lanka does not get anything back from the professionals the country created, while the countries to which they emigrate receive their services without having to spend anything to create professionals. Adding that the solutions to reduce increasing migration are not simple, Dr. Thoradeniya said that to achieve that, social and political environments, among other things, should be changed to influence the people, especially youth, to stay in the country. “In addition to those changes, an attitudinal change is also extremely necessary on both sides, i.e. politicians and the people. Instead of pointing fingers at others, there are things each person can do. For example, the people should understand, and feel, that no job is unimportant, and that every job contributes to the country and is necessary,” she emphasised. Laws and rights Meanwhile, Dias spoke extensively of the need for more laws and policies to ensure the safety and professional recognition of migrant workers, especially domestic workers. He alleged that migrant workers do not have proper rights and that the authorities are not doing a good job as far as ensuring these workers’ rights are concerned. He further opined that almost all legal provisions applicable to migrant workers do not really protect their rights, and that instead, these legal provisions predominantly focus on regulating foreign employment service providers and talks about migrant worker welfare. He added that those who go abroad for employment are not entitled to rights such as entering into collective agreements or joining/forming trade unions, and that the said lack of legal protection has made them “slaves”, not workers. He also noted that this issue cannot be disregarded due to the large number of people that go aboard, which, in the pre-pandemic era, was around 235,000-245,000 persons per year. “Even though migrant workers have contributed to a number of other trades or services, compared to their contribution, they do not receive adequate services or recognition,” Dias noted. Speaking on the National Labour Migration Policy of Sri Lanka, formulated by the Ministry for Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare in 2008, Dias said that even though such a document exists in Sri Lanka, its applicability is highly questionable, because the said policy is not legally binding. He added that it cannot be enforced in the event of a violation (of a right or a law), and that therefore, what benefits it can provide is a question. “Our struggle should be to bring about regulations that can actually be put into action,” he stressed.  Meanwhile, speaking of the same policy, Undupitiya noted it is a mere policy document, and that in reality, it is not of much use.  “At the end of the day, only passed bills become law,” he said, noting that even the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Act does not contain strong provisions to safeguard migrant workers. As an example, he said that the Act mentions that the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies are required to formulate a code of good conduct for licensees and to ensure its enforcement, not a code of ethics. Even though The Morning tried to contact SLBFE officials in this regard, they were not reachable. Undupitiya further said that foreign employment agencies, however, do not show good conduct, and are involved in a number of illegal acts, most of which result in disadvantageous situations for migrant workers. According to Undupitiya, there are a large number of scams in foreign employment processes, which cost money to both the people (migrant workers) and the State. He noted that there is a need to raise awareness among migrant workers as well as those aspiring to go abroad as migrant workers, because they are not aware of some financial transactions or aspects associated with their jobs and employment contracts. Moreover, explaining irregularities pertaining to passports, he said that the making of fake passports is extremely prevalent in Sri Lanka, and that to do that, some individuals create or use fake national identity cards (NICs). He further said the authorities do not seem to pay adequate attention to this matter, although such fake passports have helped some wanted offenders or suspects flee the country very conveniently. Adding that there is a business also built on this racket, Undupitiya noted that the existing loopholes in the laws should also receive the authorities’ attention.  “In this context, it is becoming increasingly impossible to accept an NIC, or a passport, as a document that is certain to provide accurate information,” he said, stressing that this raises a question as to the use of these documents, and doubts as to the documents, services, and goods obtained using these fake documents. “This is a gross violation of fundamental rights of the entire society,” Undupitiya opined. It is not practically possible to stop the people from leaving for greener pastures, and they have every right to seek better educational and employment opportunities and better living conditions, among other things. However, as those who spoke during the discussion underscored, although increased emigration, including brain drain, is not completely bad or good, it shows certain instability in the country’s politics, economy, and society, and that is certainly bad. Even though Sri Lanka cannot stop the people from exercising their right to leave, it can, and there is a need to, ensure their labour and human rights, especially when people migrate seeking employment opportunities. To do that, the authorities first need to take swift action to stop racketeers from exploiting and deceiving migrant workers.


More News..