Bangladeshi activist wins first Minu Memorial Award in Korea

Shekh al Mamun, a migrants' rights activist and movie director, has become the first winner of the Minu Memorial Award, recognizing him for his years-long contribution to enhancing immigrant workers' rights in Korea.

The Minu Memorial Award was established by a group of supporters of Minod Moktan, the late migrant worker and activist from Nepal, to commemorate his death and remember his accomplishments, reports The Korea Times.

Shekh, 45, is a naturalized Korean from Bangladesh. He started work in a furniture factory in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, after entering the country in 1992.

But the poor working conditions and rampant discrimination against migrant workers led him to raise his voice representing fellow workers. Engaging in various labor rights activities since 2001, he was appointed as a senior member of the migrant workers' union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) in 2013.

"I am honored to become the first winner of this meaningful prize. This will be motivation not only for me but also for my fellow activists. I hope this award becomes better known among Koreans even to those who aren't very familiar with migrant laborers' issues," Shekh al Mamun said.

He attributed his achievements to his colleagues and family saying, "It wouldn't have been possible without the help of the lawyers who gave me legal advice, my colleagues in the labor union, and of course, my supportive wife."

Shekh explained his future plans to address one of the most urgent issues among migrant workers ― bringing changes to the employment permit system (EPS). The governmental program allows foreigners from 16 countries to enter Korea and fill low-skilled jobs mainly in manufacturing or agricultural sectors.

"Since the system doesn't allow workers to freely change their workplace, it is being abused by employers to exploit and threaten their employees. The government should immediately revise the program."

On top of his labor-related activities, Shekh is also a movie director belonging to the Asia Media Culture Factory (AMC Factory), a group of immigrants doing media-related works. He has produced more than 10 documentary films depicting migrant workers' lives since 2013.

"Movies are an effective and interesting way to deliver our messages to the world through visual stories. We plan to make films not only on migrant workers, but human rights stories in general."

His latest movie "Awaiting," a story about victims of wartime sexual slavery during the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Korean War, will premiere at the Dakar Film Festival in January 2021.