Migrant Forum in Asia

MFA Statement for International Migrants’ Day, December 18 2011

Recognize and Protect Migrant Domestic Workers’ Rights: Ratify ILO Convention 189!

Today, December 18th 2011, we mark International Migrants’ Day.  Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) dedicates its actions and activities on this important day to the 53 million domestic workers worldwide, many of whom are migrant domestic workers, for their continual and significant contributions to our societies.

A Landmark Year for Migrant Domestic Workers

A new era for migrant domestic workers began on June 16th with the adoption of ILO Convention 189—the Domestic Workers Convention. This Convention recognizes domestic workers as workers, with rights that are equal to those of all other workers regardless of citizenship or legal status.  This victory was the result of six decades of perseverance on the part of leaders from the domestic worker community, trade unionists, and civil society advocates.

The enhanced focus on domestic work at the international level leading up to and following C189 has lead to new measures being adopted by both origin and destination countries to protect the rights and welfare of migrant domestic workers.  In Asia, Lebanon, India, the Philippines and Taiwan have all introduced domestic work legislation; the governments of Indonesia and Cambodia have implemented deployment bans for domestic workers headed to Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, respectively; Indonesia and Malaysia have entered into a new bilateral agreement to govern domestic labour recruitment and deployment; and the Government of India has recently extended social protection mechanisms, including access to the national health insurance scheme, to local domestic workers.  Similar initiatives can be seen in countries in other parts of the world as well.

While this flurry of activity in response to C189 may point to some positive national-level developments with respect to increased attention being paid to the challenges faced by domestic workers, these actions remain piecemeal and insufficient in providing the necessary protections to protect and uphold domestic worker rights. As advocates we have much more work to do in order to sensitize governments to the particular struggles of migrant domestic workers.

Migrant Forum in Asia, Statement on International Human Rights Day

December 10, 2011

Today marks International Human Rights Day – a day observed each year to commemorate the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This landmark document was the first global enunciation of the rights of all human beings, enshrining the principles of equality and non-discrimination in the realization of these rights, which are to be extended to all regardless of nationality, religion, ethnicity, gender, or legal status. We dedicate this day to those who have lost their lives crossing borders in their attempts to realize the rights to which we are all entitled as human beings.

On this important day, we are called to reflect on how far the international community has come since 1948, and to speak out in solidarity with those who remain unable to see their fundamental rights realized due to political, social, and economic instability and oppression, and due to policies based on xenophobia, intolerance, and discrimination. We dedicate this day to those who have lost their lives crossing borders in their attempts to realize the rights to which we are all entitled as human beings.

29-30 November 2011

Geneva, Switzerland

Presented on 1 December 2011 to the Opening Plenary of States, Civil Society and Observers, Global Forum on Migration and Development 2011 by William Gois, Chair of the Civil Society Days of the 2011 GFMD.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, fellow migrants and colleagues,

Human mobility is happening, is unstoppable, and affects us all.  We all know as well that we need to do better at responding to this global phenomenon. When are we going to catch up with this?  Which kind of change do we want—change we manage or change we cannot?