Street theater held on issues of migrant workers

To highlight the issues faced by migrant workers, a street theater was organised by Ujjal Migrant Community Center, a joint project of Lawyers for Human Rights & Legal Aid (LHRLA) and Co-ordination for Action Research on AIDS and Mobility (CARAM-Asia) at Korangi on Thursday.
Some 200-community members participated in this event including men, women and children. The main population of the area is comprised of Bengalis and Burmese, who migrated from the country of their origin in different timings because of various reasons.
Most of the people of the area suffer from extreme poverty. Their children also contribute to earning money, and acquiring basic necessity of life instead of going to school.
Getting overseas employment is a very viable option for active and young males of the area to come out from this situation. Therefore, most of them seem to be engaged in seeking employment abroad without having proper information.
Keeping in view this situation, the team members of Ujjal Community Center organised the street theater to raise awareness among potential migrants on hazards of undocumented migration and exploitation by middlemen due to lack of information.
During theater, the performers covered many misconceptions regarding migration. Two performers in the theater troupe played a great role in communicating the message to the participants related to the problems of migrant workers.
People asked many questions on the issue for their clarity at the end of the play. They were very much concerned to have more information. Many men, who were sitting in small teashops watching television got attracted by the live theater and came to observe.
A general discussion on hazards of undocumented migration was started among people in community after the theater. People on the street shared their knowledge with each other on the issue and appreciated the efforts of Ujjal Center in providing information.
Young boys were especially keen in participating in the event and discussion session. Some of the area religious leaders also took interest in the event and appreciated the performers and Ujjal team with the hope of receiving more information in future.