MPs concerned over young people going to foreign countries

During the plenary session held at the National Assembly this Monday, October 28, MPs have suggested that the ministry in charge of youths establish a legal institution in charge of following closely young people in foreign countries as they are often mistreated.

MPs suggest that the establishment of a legal institution should support young people who go to foreign countries

MP Ibrahim Uwizeye has said young people who tried to go to foreign countries especially in Gulf countries are often mistreated. “Some of them are recruited to do some jobs beyond their strength,” he said adding that he met three young people on the way back to Burundi who gave up their jobs in Gulf countries.

MP Uwizeye Ibrahim demanded the ministry in charge of youths to work in close collaboration with Burundian officials based in those countries to establish a legal institution. “The latter will work in collaboration with foreign officials to identify all problems faced on the ground and find solutions as young people contribute to the country’s development,” he said.

The same view is made by Pascal Nyabenda, Speaker of the National Assembly. He said young people who finish their studies often rush to go to foreign countries through any way. “They prefer to go to other countries because they didn’t succeed to find jobs in the country”, he said adding that Burundians are everywhere throughout the world. Speaker Pascal Nyabenda wonders what should be done to help those young people. “They travel secretly”, he said. He also said they are about 5000 young people in Gulf countries. “We cannot see them easily as their employers try to hide them,” he said.

For him, the Bank for Youths should also contribute to the reduction of unemployment among young people. “It will support young people grouped into cooperatives and associations and prevent them from going to other countries,” he said.

Evelyne Butoyi, Minister of Youths, Posts and ITCs has said the establishment of a legal institution would help those young people to join other countries through a legal way. “It will be an added value for them and for the country,” she said. She, however, called on everybody to be more involved in the sensitization campaign to raise awareness of the mistreatment perpetrated against those young people. “Some of them joined those countries without having enough information of what happened there,” she concluded.