11-Oct-2002
8th Regional Conference on Migration
Migration and Migrant Workers’ Health & Well-being
9-11 October 2002, Dhaka, Bangladesh

CONFERENCE DECLARATION & RECOMMENDATIONS

We are 60 delegates representing migrant organisations, NGOs, trade unions, networks, international agencies, migration experts and advocates from 13 countries. We have gathered for the 8th Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) to specifically discuss the issue of “Migration and Migrant Workers’ Health and Well-being.” We are deeply concerned about the health and well-being of migrant workers and their families in Asia and in other parts of the world.

For many decades, migrant workers have made significant contributions to their own countries as well as the labour receiving countries – without which the economies of many sending countries would have collapsed, and those of the receiving countries would not have attained their impressive economic performances.

These significant roles and contributions have been made at an enormous cost to the life, health and well-being of the migrants and their families.

The present mode of mass labour migration is premised on single-person migration, and the trade and commodification of human labour – treating migrants as mere economic tools, separating them from their families, uprooting them from the support systems of the family and the community, and negating the wholeness of their humanity. The types of jobs that are open to migrants are mainly the ‘3D’ (dirty, dangerous, disdained) types. Because of these, the migrant workers suffer physical, mental and psychological ill-health. Foreigners, especially migrant workers, coming from poor countries are often subjected to various forms of discrimination, racism and xenophobia, and to multiple types of oppressions (class, gender, race). Women migrant workers in particular, are faced with added vulnerabilities to all forms of violence against their bodily integrity and personhood.

The present political turmoil particularly in the Middle East and within the context of the US-led anti-terrorism campaign puts migrants at the greatest risk to their life and security.

We, the participants of the 8th RCM, express grave concern over the continuing denial and erosion of the rights of migrant workers, particularly to life, health and well-being, as evidenced by the recent summary deportations and mass expulsion of migrants (e.g. Malaysia); the increasing incidence of HIV/AIDS; the high rates of occupational accidents and work-related diseases; the steady stream of migrant deaths; the high incidence of mental, emotional and psychological stress and distress; and the disintegration of many migrants’ families.

Initiatives and efforts to address these health concerns have been inadequate and ad hoc. As a matter of justice, governments of both receiving and sending countries must now respond to the health and well-being of migrant workers and their families, and mobilize and allocate all the resources needed.

We call on the governments to fulfill their obligations to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and various international human rights covenants. These international instruments set the basic standards in upholding migrants’ health and human rights. We renew our long-standing call on all governments to ratify the 1990 UN Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families – which now have 19 State-parties, and will become an international treaty after the 20th ratification. We specifically met in Dhaka to call on the Bangladeshi government, which has already signed the convention, to become the historic 20th State-party and pave the way for the treaty’s entry into force.

The right to health is the right to life. No migrant worker and migrant family should be deprived of this.

We further commit ourselves, and call on other supporters and advocates, to undertake the attached recommendations on strategic areas of action.

Adopted by the 8th Regional Conference on Migration, 9-11 October 2002, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Organisers:

Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA, Philippines; regional)
Asian Migrant Centre (AMC, Hong Kong; regional)
Welfare Association of Repatriated Bangladeshi Employees (WARBE, Bangladesh)

Participants:

Action Network for Migrant Workers (ACTFORM, Sri Lanka)
Ain-o-Salish Kendra (ASK, Bangladesh)
All-Nepal Women’s Association (ANWA, Nepal)
Asia Monitor Resource Center (AMRC, Hong Kong; regional)
Asian Domestic Workers Union (ADWU, Hong Kong)
Asian Network for the ICC (ANICC, Bangladesh)
Asia-Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD, Thailand; regional)
Bangladesh Women Migrants Association (BWMA, Bangladesh)
Center for Education and Communication (CEC, Indiaenter for Indonesian Migrant Workers (CIMW, Indonesia)
Coalition for Migrants’ Rights (CMR, Hong Kong)
Community Advancement and Research Initiatives (CARI, Bangladesh)
Hope Workers Center (HWC, Taiwan)
Individual participants from the Middle East and international agencies
Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (IMWU, Hong Kong)
Joint Committee for Migrant Workers in Korea (JCMK, Korea)
Kanlungan Center Foundation (Philippines)
Kapisanan ng mga Kamag-anakan ng Migranteng Manggagawang Pilipino  (KAKAMMPI, Philippines)
Khan Foundation (Bangladesh)
Medical Mutual Aid Union for Migrants in Korea (MUMK, Korea)
Migrant Forum (India)
Migrant Services Centre (MSC, Sri Lanka)
Migrants’ Rights International (MRI, Geneva; international)
Minatomachi Medical Center (Japan)
National Network in Solidarity with Migrant Workers (NNSMW, Japan)
Qudwatun Nisail Muslimat (QUDWA, Philippines)
Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU, Bangladesh)
Seoul Migrant Worker’s Center (SMC, Korea)
Solidaritas Perempuan (SP, Indonesia)
Solidarity Center (SC, Sri Lanka)
Solidarity Foundation (SF, Bangladesh)
UNDP South East Asia HIV and Development Programme (Thailand; international)
Unlad Kabayan Migrant Services Foundation (Philippines)

WOREC (Nepal)

11 October 2002, Dhaka

 

 

8th Regional Conference on Migration
Migration and Migrant Workers’ Health & Well-being
9-11 October 2002, Dhaka, Bangladesh

RECOMMENDED STRATEGIC AREAS FOR FOLLOW-UP & ACTION

Conduct studies, information gathering, monitoring or research on migrants’ health

Recommended actions:

1. Comparative studies on wages, health and other standards, conditions and vulnerabilities of migrants - across Asia; by job category; by nationality; by gender)

2. Studies on how families are affected by migration, especially in the case of illness, & upon migrants’ return

3. In-depth studies on the violations of health, reproductive & sexual rights (can be submitted to Special Rapporteur, etc.)

4. Study/compilation of health & migration policies, laws & practical services (can be used for education, advocacy)

5. Study on racism, discrimination – laws, policies & services related to health

6. Documentation, monitoring on abuses, rights violations, including health, reproductive rights, violence against women.

Strengthen/build linkages & networks; conduct joint public actions/campaigns on health

Recommended actions:

1. Link migrants’ actions with labour movements/ actions

2. Launch regional/global campaign focusing on migrants’ health & well-being; including media campaign to raise public awareness & project migrants’ health issues.

3. Explore possibility of regional/global campaign “to give back to migrants” due recognition, treatment, services for their contributions to host/home countries

4. Improve links with trafficking & other migration networks

5. Build or expand core or volunteer groups of health and related professionals assisting the migrants

6. Build national networks of migrant support groups

7. Engage with IGOs regarding programmes, services, responses on  migrants’ health needs

8. Strengthen, expand, link up with regional migrant network; strengthen or expand MFA as mechanism for monitoring, implementing coordinating strategies and responses.

Lobby/advocate governments in Asia on health-related and migrants’ rights concerns

Recommended actions:  Lobby governments:

1. To give top importance on the creation of local jobs (instead of exporting workers to 3D jobs); emphasising that this is the governments’ (esp. sending) basic priority and main duty.

2. To ensure that there are consulates/embassies in host countries, with appropriate health personnel and services; tha these foreign missions should provide health services and counseling, regardless of migrants’ visa status

3. To organize and conduct direct medical assistance where appropriate, e.g. in labour camps in the Middle East, in detention camps, etc.

4. To stop/reform discriminatory policies towards migrants, e.g. ban on women from migrating

5. To improve government policies/practices on regulating and monitoring recruiters, so that they don’t aggravate abuses, or put migrants in greater health risks or more vulnerable situations.

6. To recognize (as first line of defense/protection for health and well-being) migrant trade unions, organisations, and support groups (onsite; of returned migrants; of migrant families)

7. To forge bilateral agreements protecting migrant workers.

8. To stop inhumane policies and practices – especially violence against women migrants in the Middle East

9. To stop mandatory medical, pregnancy, HIV/AIDS testing; to properly treat, instead of summarily deport, sick migrants.

10. To ensure mandatory health insurance for migrants

11. To adopt national migration polices or laws protecting migrants and their families; consistent with international human rights standards.

12. To include migrants’ health in national policies

13. To ratify and implement international instruments, especially the 1990 UN migrant workers convention

Produce and disseminate resource materials on migrants’ health and well-being

Recommended actions:

1. Books/references/resource materials on good/bad practices, policies on health (both by governments & NGOs)

2. Education kits on migrants’ health issues (specific health issues, risks, vulnerabilities)

3. References/book on discriminatory policies especially on health

4. Information/resource materials on OSH & compensation levels

5. Training kits on migrants’ health – basic principles, framework, rights (OSH; physical, mental, emotional health; health, reproductive and sexuality rights, etc.)

6. Resource materials on OSH & compensations

Improve/Strengthen health-related direct services for migrants

Recommended actions:

1. Ask governments to provide health policies, services, channels for migrants and families; assist migrants in accessing public medical system, services.

2. Provide counseling and orientation booths for migrants at border areas (both sides)

3. Mobilise more volunteers, doctors, lawyers to help

4. Establish/maintain crises and refuge centres

Build capacity of MFA member-organisations, migrant organisations, NGOs/support groups in addressing health issues

Recommended actions:

1. Exchange/study programmes among migrant advocates/NGOs

2. Education & capacity-building trainings on health & reproductive rights for migrants and support groups (onsite, pre-departure, ex-migrants & their families)

3. Help grassroots migrants’ groups access financial & logistical resources so that they can sustain/build their organisations

4. Provide training/education programmes for migrants to help them know of and access medical services

5. Provide orientation and/or migration counseling services (including communication and language training to enable migrants to articulate their health needs/conditions) in host & home countries

6. Help NGOs/support groups to access funds, logistics, resources, more human power and volunteers to enable them to do their work better.

/MFA/AMC Oct 2002
Migrant Forum in Asia
Regional Secretariat, 59-B Malumanay Street, Teachers' Village West,
Quezon City, Philippines
Tel: 632-433-3508; Fax: 632-433-1292; mfa@pacific.net.hk