“When I moved from Bangladesh to Denmark, life was tough. I found myself in an unfamiliar country with a different culture. I was excited about going to a new university, but even making friends was not so straightforward as I had assumed. To keep afloat, I was working late nights as a dishwasher and cleaning personnel. I was paid far below the minimum and my pay check was, on all occasions, late. I worked in substandard working environments, without a work contract to grant me stability. Most of the money used to hire me went to the service company that I worked through. It was neither helpful for the workers nor the business hiring them: it was clear that the service company was reaping all the benefits. I went on forward to study a Master’s Degree in Global Refuges Studies at Aalborg University. Through researching this field in depth, I got to know refugees, asylum seekers and newcomers like myself. Many of them were trapped in a similar unacceptable relationship with service companies. The intolerable circumstances migrants are put through energised me to provide a rewarding solution.”

Riad Arefin On behalf of YES