Asia-Pacific states told cooperate on int'l labor migration

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post/Bangkok

Participants at a regional seminar on international migration called on Friday for improved regional cooperation and the mainstreaming of international migration in national policy development in the Asia-Pacific region.

Organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the three-day seminar recommended the creation of a new regional framework to facilitate regular dialog on international labor migration and development in the region.

UNESCAP executive secretary Kim Hak-su told participants that the management of migration was particularly complex because of the significant flows of irregular migration in much of the region.

"Governments often face the difficult tasks of balancing the desire to control irregular migration with respect for the rights of migrants and recognition of the economic and social forces that compel much of the movement," he said.

The seminar, chaired by Cambodian Minister of Women's Affairs Ing Kantha Phavi, called on all governments in the region to sign up to existing regional agreements to counter human trafficking, concluding that international migration should be explicitly incorporated into national economic and social policy-making, if coherent policies were to emerge.

Participants from 12 countries and 15 international agencies also acknowledged the urgent need for new research and improved data collection to assess the relationship between migration and development. It was also agreed to harmonize the definition of "migration" itself as definitions vary from country to country.

As labor migrants collectively remit a large amount of money home, the seminar also recommended that governments should set explicit economic and social development strategies for international migration.

The seminar also discussed the need of insurance and consular protection for migrant workers and the enforcement of labor standards.

Meanwhile, countries sending significant numbers of migrants overseas for employment were called on to strengthen the management of such migration in order to enhance the benefits for migrants.

Apart from consular services, it also includes combating fraud and exploitation in the recruitment process.

In Indonesia, despite the fact that migrant workers send money back home, the government has yet to protect their rights be it abroad or at home where they are vulnerable to abuse and extortion.

It is public knowledge that migrant workers are often exploited for their hard-earned money by many parties as soon as they arrive home.

Indonesian lawmaker Chairun Nisa told The Jakarta Post that the government must stamp out fraud and exploitation in the recruitment process.

"It is common for migrant workers to lie about their age in order to obtain documents, such as passports.

"Officials at the village level must really do their jobs properly and should not be involved in the recruitment process."

Chairun Nisa also called on the government to take punitive action against recruitment agencies found breaking the law.

"If the government can take action against unruly travel bureaus managing haj trips, the same action must also be taken against recruitment agencies," she said.