Caring for the Vulnerable

Transnational Social Protection of Bangladeshi Migrants’ Families in the EU

The 27-months CASTLE2 project is built upon the critical understanding that while migration inherently presents significant vulnerabilities for Bangladeshi labour migrants and their transnational families, it concurrently serves as a crucial avenue for accessing vital resources and protection. To comprehensively address this complex dynamic, our action is fundamentally framed by Peggy Levitt’s concept of Hybrid Transnational Social Protection, which recognizes the active role of migrants and their families in leveraging a dynamic interplay of formal and informal support systems across borders for their well-being.

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Impacts & results

Partners

The project partners

Countries

Romania, Greece, Bangladesh

CASTLE 1

Children Left Behind by Labour Migration

CASTLE Centre

Centre for the Study of Transnational Families

About the project

‘Caring for the Vulnerable - Transnational Social Protection of Bangladeshi Migrants’ Families in the EU – CASTLE 2’ is a research-driven project aimed at creating a more integrated, cross-border social protection framework for Bangladeshi labour migrants living in Romania and Greece or considering migration to the EU.

Building on the knowledge gathered through the ‘Children Left Behind by Labour Migration’ (CASTLE) project and recognising that migrants rely on both formal and informal support systems across origin and destination countries, CASTLE 2 will examine how these mechanisms interact for Bangladeshi migrants’ transnational families in Bangladesh, Romania, and Greece, and identify gaps in protection. The findings will inform practical interventions to strengthen social protection throughout the migration cycle by improving access to information, building service providers’ capacity across all three countries, and engaging host communities to promote integration. The evidence generated will also be used to raise awareness among policymakers and the public, both nationally and at the EU level, and to inform targeted policy recommendations.

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Activities

Research and Evidence Generation

Migrants will act as co-researchers through action research to identify the mechanisms and resources that Bangladeshi migrants and their families use to protect and support themselves before, during, and after labour migration. This will enable the project to map where and why protection gaps occur in Bangladesh, Romania, and Greece.

Capacity-building and Empowerment

Drawing on the research findings, this project will develop and deliver tailored training curricula to address capacity gaps among local service providers and professionals in Romania, Greece, and Bangladesh, enabling them to better support the social protection and integration of Bangladeshi transnational families. Furthermore, it will equip migrants and their families with information and opportunities to make informed choices, mitigate migration-related risks, and integrate more effectively in destination countries.

Multi-level Stakeholder Engagement and Awareness Raising

The initiative will engage policymakers and other stakeholders, including migration practitioners, trade unions, and employers’ organisations, from both origin and destination countries. Through high-level roundtables, peer learning, and cross-border dialogues, it will share insights generated by the project research, fostering policy change and more protective frameworks for Bangladeshi transnational families.