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What's new
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30 April 2008: Bangkok - Thai Ministeries of Labour and Social Development/Human Security agree formal guidelines to deal with suspected cases of trafficking for labour exploitation.
See the guidelines here - (pdf 107kb).(ILO News Release in English - (pdf 107kb) Or in Thai - (pdf 149kb)).
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21 April 2008: Guidelines for recruitment policy and practice in the GMS are published
after Governments complete work supported by ILO, UNIAP-UNDP, IOM and UNIFEM. See the guidelines here. - (pdf 2511kb) These guidelines will be incorporated into ILO-supported training on recruitment practices in the Greater Mekong Subregion in 2008.
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11 April 2008: ILO Official expresses sadness over deaths of 54 migrant workers in Thailand - calls for improved labour migration managment and inspections
to prevent abuses of migrants at hands of smugglers, traffickers and exploitative employers. Read full statement here in English or Thai - (pdf 99kb).
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14 December: Beijing - Mekong Governments pledge to involve 'civil society groups' in future anti-trafficking work.
The six GMS Governments participating in the COMMIT process to combat trafficking (multi-lateral coordination) have jointly declared to a "genuine collaborative approach that actively seeks and sustains the involvement of civil society groups; victim support agencies, international organizations, and trafficked persons in the implementation of anti-trafficking programmes including the design, development, monitoring and evaluation of such programmes." The official pledge to include civil society groups - the first of its kind since the six Governments began their coordinated efforts - was made during the signing of a joint-declaration at an Inter-Ministerial Meeting (IMM2).
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18 December: New York - UN Secretary-General calls for more acceptance of migrants
and a recognition of the value they bring to societies - in both sending and receiving countries.
Full statement here>
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2 - 9 September: Bangkok
- Children and young people from across the Greater Mekong Sub-region - all from areas where trafficking is an ever-present risk - are gathering in Bangkok for a specially convened forum to share their views and experiences in the fight against human trafficking. With a collective and unified voice, youth from six GMS countries will share their unique and valuable insights on ways to combat human trafficking and the related labour/sexual exploitation. The young delegates will also meet with representatives from their governments at a specially convened meeting by the UNIAP, the secretariat for the COMMIT process, and hosted by the Royal Thai Government. They will discuss ongoing efforts to fight trafficking in the GMS and offer fresh ideas to policy makers for further action. For more on the Forum and its objectives, click here - (pdf 201kb). Or follow this link to the Forum Website. Media and Press Enquiries click here - (pdf 141kb).
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12 - 13 July 2007 - Hanoi - Mekong Women's Forum:
Women activists from across the Greater Mekong Sub-region gather in Viet Nam to intensify efforts in combating human trafficking and the discrimination that makes women and girls more vulnerable to abuse. The Forum is hosted by the Viet Nam Women's Union and supported by the ILO Mekong Project. Participants come from Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam.
More about the Forum>
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5 July 2007 - Bangkok: Educational still not 'for all' expert's group finds.
Gender inequalities remain pervasive despite continued efforts across Asia-Pacific. A round-table panel of experts meets in Bangkok to discuss the ongoing problems of lack of access to education for girls - and looks for solutions.
MORE> - (pdf 29kb)
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18 May 2007 - ILO Mekong Project and Partners Roll Out "Travel Smart - Work Smart Guides" for Foreign Migrants Seeking Work in Thailand:
Young foreign migrants -- especially -- girls and young women are perceived as the most vulnerable groups to trafficking-related exploitation in the workplace. Thousands of copies of a new series of guidebooks in Burmese - (pdf 422kb), Khmer - (pdf 445kb) and Lao - (pdf 499kb) languages (also downloadable here) are being distributed across Thailand through a network of ten partner agencies. The guides were developed following a series of consultations with the Royal Thai Government. They are designed to help reduce the risk of foreign migrants falling into labour exploitation. The information will be updated and hardcopies re-issued as required. Translations of the Travel Smart - Work Smart guide are available here in English - (pdf 440kb) and Thai - (pdf 571kb).
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3 May 2007 - ILO anti-trafficking project highlights 'Good Trafficking Prevention Practices' in Thailand:
A series of five 'good' trafficking prevention practices were highlighted at a meeting in Chiang Rai with officials from nine provinces attending. The event also coincided with the launch of a 3-year programme to help implement action against child labour and another project to offer assistance to Thai women returning home after suffering trafficking-related abuses abroad. See the news release in English - (pdf 100kb) or Thai - (pdf 102kb). The five good practices are summarised here in English and Thai.
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March - September 2007: Young People Air Their Views.
Children and young people from across the Greater Mekong Sub-region - all from areas where trafficking is an ever-present risk - are raising their collective voice - and providing their valuable insights - on ways to combat human trafficking and the related labour/sexual exploitation. From Bangkok to Beijing hundreds of young people are meeting, debating the present approaches used by Governments and non-governmental bodies in fighting trafficking, and presenting their views to policy makers for further action.
MORE> - (pdf 138kb)
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6 February 2007 - Young Lao people have favourable view of working in Thailand - But most don't how to work there legally - Survey:
Despite an official bilateral agreement between Thailand and Lao PDR on cross-border employment cooperation, a new survey in three Lao border provinces finds only around half of the respondents are aware that they can work legally in Thailand. It also discovers that of those who are aware that they can work legally across the border, only half of them know how to go about doing so. Most want to learn more about legal recruitment in Thailand and call for more information via TV programmes. Read a summary of the main findings here - (pdf 71kb). The full 48-page report is available here - (pdf 496kb).
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2 February 2007 - New ILO Mekong Project supported report highlights the plight of migrant child workers in Mae Sot, Thailand:
A bilingual (Thai-English) report on the findings of a survey of more than 300 Burmese children working in factories on the Thai side of the border reveals a situation of serious labour exploitation, in many cases considered to be worst forms of child labour. More than 80% of the children (all below 18) were working day and night (11 to 12 hours per day - 7 days a week) - often at wages far below the minimum required by law. See the full report here and its recommendations in English - (pdf 591kb) or Thai - (pdf 1244kb). Alternatively see this 5-page abridged summary - (pdf 176kb).
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13 December 2006 - Year-long Survey in Thailand Finds Widespread Abuse of Young Migrant Workers:
The ILO Mekong Project and Mahidol University's Institute for Population and Social Research today published the results of a year-long research project that has found serious abuses of young migrants occuring on fishing boats, seafood processing plants, on farms, in factories and especially in the homes of Thai employers. More than half of foreign migrant domestic workers surveyed were prohibited from leaving their workplaces, and one-in-five migrant teens on fishing boats were forced to work – virtual slaves to the whims of their Thai employers. This two-volume bi-lingual report "The Mekong Challenge - Underpaid, Overworked and Overlooked: The realities of young migrant workers in Thailand" investigates the recruitment and working conditions in four economic sectors - Fishing & Fish Processing, Light Manufacturing, Agriculture and Domestic Work.
MORE HERE! >
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18 December, 2006 - New Poll Highlights Thai Attitudes About Migrant workers:
An ABAC Poll sponsored by the ILO and UNIFEM has found a lack of understanding among Thais as to the benefits their economy receives from foreign migrant workers. While the Royal Thai Government acknowledges the need for more migrants, most of the more than 4,000 Thais surveyed for this poll believed Thailand does not need migrants to sustain its economy - indicating a need for greater awareness raising. About 58.6% of respondents also said the Thai government should not admit more foreigners to work in Thailand compared with only 9.7% that believed otherwise. While most Thais agreed that migrants should be treated equally when it came to hours of work and days off, most disagreed that they should receive equal pay and benefits. More about the poll results from the ILO-UNIFEM sponsors here in English - (pdf 103kb) and Thai - (pdf 170kb). The ABAC Poll Results are available here in English - (pdf 385kb) and Thai - (pdf 482kb).
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20 November 2006 - Phnom Penh - Child Safe Tourism:
The Royal Government of Cambodia with support from the ILO Mekong Project, and a variety of UN, international and local NGOs, continues its drive to protect children from potential abuses resulting from the rapidly growing tourism industry. One of the latest additions to the Child Safe Tourism campaign is this poster - printed in both English and Khmer. It urges both foreign and domestic tourists to be on the alert for children in situations of labour or sexual abuse. A local hotline has been set up for members of the public to call: 023 720 555
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