Legal framework, cooperation needed to help migrant workers<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The implementation of international legal frameworks and
\nbilateral cooperation are needed to help exploited and abused
\nwomen migrant workers, a regional workshop on protecting women
\nmigrant workers in Asia said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The workshop, jointly organized by the Ministry of Manpower
\nand Transmigration and the United Nations Development Fund for
\nWomen (UNIFEM), emphasized the implementation of international
\nconventions, especially the Convention on the Elimination of All
\nForms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).<\/p>\n
CEDAW committee member Sjamsiah Achmad said the implementation
\nof international conventions and an understanding of domestic
\nlegislation were important to help solve workers' problems.<\/p>\n
\"Besides legal frameworks, regional and bilateral cooperation
\nis also significant to solve problems related to migrant
\nworkers,\" Sjamsiah told the conference attended by government
\nrepresentatives from labor-exporting countries like Indonesia,
\nthe Philippines, Sri Lanka and Nepal.<\/p>\n
Receiving countries like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Singapore
\nwere conspicuously absent from the three-day conference.<\/p>\n
Non-governmental organization activists and experts from
\nBahrain, Bangladesh, Jordan and South Korea also attended the
\nworkshop, which was officially opened by Minister of Manpower and
\nTransmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, UNIFEM regional chief Kunzang Chungyalpa said in
\nher speech that women, who made up more than half of Asia's 20
\nmillion migrant workers, often faced exploitation and serious
\nabuse.<\/p>\n
\"Social and cultural attitudes, combined with labor market
\nsegmentation, result in underpayment and exploitation of women
\nworkers, often exposing them to serious human rights violations,\"
\nChungyalpa said.<\/p>\n
According to Chungyalpa, total remittances from all migrant
\nworkers to Asia's developing countries stood at around US$80
\nbillion last year, surpassing foreign direct investment for the
\nfirst time.<\/p>\n
She said women could take pride in their economic
\ncontribution, but governments had to develop policies to ensure
\nwomen were empowered to deal with vulnerable situations.<\/p>\n
Unless social and human rights issues were addressed, she
\nsaid, the ultimate social cost of migration might outweigh its
\neconomic benefits.<\/p>\n
Alan Boulton, Jakarta director of the International Labor
\nOrganization (ILO), spoke of a \"catalog of abuse and exploitation
\nof migrant workers who contribute $1.1 billion to $2.2 billion
\nannually in earnings to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Even though there has been a vast increase over the last 10
\nyears in the number of migrant workers, the authorities have
\ngenerally failed to provide proper standards of protection for
\nthese workers,\" Boulton was quoted by AFP as saying.<\/p>\n
There was still too much corruption in the various stages of
\nthe labor migration process, he said.<\/p>\n
However, manpower ministry director general for migrant
\nworkers Gusti Made Arka argued that the government had made
\nconsiderable efforts to protect migrant workers, who totaled
\n480,393 people last year.<\/p>\n
Arka also revealed that recently the government had issued a
\njoint decree signed by seven ministers to set up an advocacy team
\nfor protecting migrant workers.<\/p>\n
Last month, the country's media headlines were marked by the
\nreturn of dozens of women migrant workers from Saudi Arabia, many
\nof whom had reportedly been unpaid, abused or raped.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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