13 January 2007
ASEAN leaders sign accord to protect millions of migrant workers
(Kyodo News) Southeast Asian leaders signed an accord Saturday that promotes the rights of millions of vulnerable migrant workers in a region that has been both a source and a destination for migrants.
The declaration ensures millions of migrant workers, who buoy their home country's economies through remittances, of good working conditions, a decent wage scale and wide legal protection from all forms of abuse and violence consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Ten leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations inked the landmark ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, the first such region-wide accord, issued by the current rotating chairman Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, on the resort island Mactan in the central Philippine province of Cebu where the 12th ASEAN Summit is being held.
"Both the receiving states and sending states shall strengthen the political, economic and social pillars of the ASEAN community by promoting the full potential and dignity of migrant workers in a climate of freedom, equity and stability in accordance with the laws, regulations and policies of respective ASEAN member countries," the statement said.
The communique is neither legally binding nor requires governments to amend existing labor laws, but a senior Philippine official said the declaration is a first step toward a more binding agreement in the future.
Leaders made clear the accord will not be used to legalize migrants working without work permits.
The declaration identified eight commitments by ASEAN to protect and promote the rights of migrant workers, including humane working conditions and the establishment of human resources development programs and reintegration programs in the migrant workers' countries of origin.
ASEAN also agreed to take on concrete measures to prevent or curb human smuggling and trafficking by introducing stiffer penalties for those involved in the activities.
It also approved to extend assistance to migrant workers of member countries caught in conflict or crisis situations, even outside the region, data-sharing on matters related with migrant workers and other capacity-building measures that will promote worker rights and welfare.
The declaration also stated 10 obligations of both the receiving and sending states, including providing migrant workers with adequate access to the legal and judicial system, promoting employment protection, fair wages and access to decent working and living conditions for migrant workers.
The accord also instructed ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong to submit an annual report during the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the progress of the declaration's implementation.
The huge movement of people across the region is fuelled by economics, demography and the low-cost of travel and relocation and the relative ease of remitting money means nothing seems likely to stop it, experts say.
Migrant workers, who may be permanent or illegal migrants to host countries, are mostly domestic servants, but many are entertainers and healthcare workers and many are involved in jobs from those on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder to those at the top.
The economically disparate ASEAN region is home to 567 million people, almost one-tenth of the world's population, where millions of people from poorer countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia are crossing national borders to seek higher-paying jobs and more opportunities in wealthier neighbors such as Singapore and Malaysia.
(Source: Kyodo News)
ASEAN DECLARATION ON THE PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF THE RIGHTS OF MIGRANT WORKERS
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