Migrant workers achievements to date

Progress report | 01 October 2009

Migrant workers project: Achievements to date

Policy and legal frameworks

  • Strengthening regional policy frameworks for the protection of migrant workers: Technical support to the ASEAN Working Group on Migrant Workers, which comprises trade unions, NGOs, migrant workers’ organizations and academia, to advocate, lobby, draft and organize regional and national consultations on the ASEAN Declaration a binding ASEAN Instrument for the Protection of Migrant Workers, as mandated by the ASEAN Vientiane Action Plan.
  • Strengthening national and regional policy frameworks and administrative practices for the protection of migrant domestic workers: Technical support to MTUC (Malaysian Trade Union Congress) for conference on domestic workers for the ILO’s standards-setting process on domestic workers.
  • Strengthening regional policy frameworks and administrative practices for the protection of migrant domestic workers: Financial and technical support to NTUC (National Trade Union Congress) Singapore to develop a regional seminar on international best practices in protecting migrant domestic workers in sending and destination countries.
  • Strengthening ASEAN regional policy frameworks and administrative practices for the protection of migrant workers on national human rights mechanisms: Support for capacity strengthening of national human rights mechanisms in the ASEAN region to protect migrant workers, to enable them to collect data, monitor, advocate and review government policies. Supported the national consultations of Komnas Perempuan (the National Commission on Violence against Women).
  • Strengthening the Regional Alliance for the Protection of (Migrant) Domestic Workers: ADWA: Supported national migrant workers’ and domestic workers’ networks in forming a regional Asian Domestic Workers Alliance, ADWA, to advocate for equal human rights and labour protection of domestic workers in Asia.
  • Technical assistance for the knowledge and implementation of ratified labour and human rights instruments applicable to the protection of migrant workers: Technical support to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to implement its programme on enhancing the knowledge and implementation of international instruments relating to the protection of vulnerable population groups, in particular migrant workers, victims of trafficking, female workers, children and others, and application of these in national and local policy frameworks.
  • Technical Assistance for Advocacy and Assistance in Malaysia: Financial and technical support to the Malaysian Bar Association, Tenaganita (a Malaysian NGO) and the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) to assist and advocate for migrant workers and migrant domestic workers rights through national consultations and conferences, direct assistance through help desks and hotlines, and training for service providers and legal practitioners.
  • Technical assistance for exploratory work on the development of international standards specifically for the protection of domestic workers: Support for the initiatives of NORMES (ILO Geneva’s International Standards Department), ACTRAV (ILO Geneva’s Trade Unions Department), and GENDER (ILO Geneva’s Gender Bureau), as well as ILO-ROAP (ILO’s Regional Office for the Asia-Pacific) by providing research and technical feedback for their exploratory work on the development of international standards specifically for the protection of domestic workers.
  • Strengthening the Indonesian recruitment & placement system: Support to Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Manpower, BNP2TKI, the Ministry of Justice and Human rights, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and others to develop and draft a policy framework that addresses deficiencies in the present legislative framework and administrative practices.
  • Strengthening the Indonesian remittances system, banking services and facilities for savings, micro-credit and investment: Support to Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Manpower, BNP2TKI, Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, local governments and others to develop and draft a policy framework that addresses the deficiencies in the present policy and legislative framework and administrative practices.
  • Strengthening employment information dissemination and registration for Indonesian migrant workers: Support to Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Manpower, BNP2TKI, Ministry of Home Affairs, local governments and others to establish programmes for support and information to migrant workers and their families about to information about job opportunities abroad and safe migration procedures.
  • Strengthening local legislation for the protection of migrant workers – Central Lombok, East Lampung, Cirebon (Indonesia): Support to the migrant workers’ trade union, SBMI (Serikat Buruh Migran Indonesia), to advocate, lobby, hold consultations and draft local legislation on the protection of and services for migrant workers in selected pilot project areas. In this particular project phase, the Project is expanding its support on this type of activity to two more selected areas in Jember and Banyumas (East and Central Java Provinces)

Advocacy and awareness-raising activities

  • Media-based awareness raising: goodwill ambassadors: Support for public awareness-raising and advocacy campaigns by well-known singers Franki Sahilatua and Nina Carlina and actor Rieke Dyah Pitaloka who are goodwill ambassadors for migrant workers. These artists are high profile advocates for migrant workers’ rights in Indonesia and abroad and have participated in documentaries, information films, TV shows and radio shows from 2006 onwards, as well as promotion tours to Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore and visits to Indonesian areas of origin for migrant workers, as well as shows in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.
  • Media-based awareness raising in Indonesia: Inter-active media programmes with national radio and television broadcast networks on domestic workers and migrant workers rights and work situations in Indonesia and abroad. In 2007 the project organized the participation of stakeholders in 18 interactive national radio programmes, which are taped and shared with provincial and local radio stations in sending areas. The Project has been worked closely with the Jakarta Globe on a series of articles of migrant domestic workers (three days special coverage on Indonesian migrant workers). In addition to that, the Project has also cooperated with several national TV programs such as Metro TV and SWARA on migrant domestic workers issues.
  • Media-based awareness raising in Singapore: Worked closely with the Straits Times on a series of articles on migrant domestic workers and provided technical support for a visit to sending communities in Indonesia of Straits Times journalists to generate articles and a print- and web-based photo montage.
  • Media-based awareness raising in Malaysia: Worked with the Al-Jazeera TV news network on visits to sending communities in Indonesia and with the Malaysiakini online news service.
  • Celebrating International Migrants Day in Indonesia: Supported and jointly organized, with SBMI, national awareness-raising and advocacy events in Jakarta on 18 December 2007 and 2008 which was nationally covered by Indonesian media.
  • Community-based awareness-raising and outreach in Indonesia: Support for activities by SBMI and NGO networks Kopbumi and CIMW, as well as other local stakeholder organizations in some 75 sending districts in 13 provinces, including Aceh, North and South Sumatra, Lampung, Riau, West, Centra and East Java, and West Nusa Tenggara to raise awareness and advocate for improvement of migrant workers’ protection and access to services.
  • Community-based awareness raising and outreach in Hong Kong: Support to migrant domestic workers’ trade unions IMWU and FDGHU to undertake extensive advocacy and public awareness-raising activities through a variety of activities, such as Sunday meetings for members, cultural events, public meetings and dialogues with the Hong Kong government, the Indonesian consulate in Hong Kong and Hong Kong employment agencies.
  • Community-based awareness raising and outreach in Malaysia: Support for public advocacy and awareness raising by Malaysian trade union groupings MTUC and UNI-MLC and the NGO Tenaganita, as well as outreach to migrant workers and migrant domestic workers regarding their working rights and provision of assistance.
  • Community-based awareness raising and outreach in Singapore: Support for public advocacy and awareness raising by Singaporean trade union groupings NTUC and UNI and the NGOs HOME, TWC2, religious organizations and domestic workers associations, as well as outreach to migrant workers and migrant domestic workers regarding their working rights and provision of assistance.

Outreach, protection, livelihood activities and reintegration services for migrant domestic workers and their families

  • Supporting outreach and assistance to migrant workers: Support for activities by SBMI and NGO networks Kopbumi and CIMW, as well as other local stakeholder organizations in some 75 sending districts in 13 provinces, including Aceh, North and South Sumatra, Lampung, Riau, West, Centra and East Java, and West Nusa Tenggara to support livelihoods development in sending communities in Indonesia through fjnancial education, entrepreneurship development, production skills trainings, cooperative trainings and provision of micro-finance.

Capacity building for key stakeholders

  • Building capacity of officials from ASEAN and selected African countries on the protection of migrant workers: In cooperation with the Jakarta Training Centre of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided technical assistance, facilitators, training and resource materials for trainings for senior and mid-level officials from ASEAN and African countries on the protection of migrant workers, organized and hosted by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as part of the Ministry’s programme to sensitize officials and enhance cooperation on migration.
  • Building capacity of officials of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on migrant worker affairs: Developing training curricula and materials for Master Trainers who will provide training for Ambassadors on migrant worker protection; for specialized service personnel at the new Citizen Service Centres which also provided services for Indonesian migrant workers; and training on the marketing and promotion of ‘Decent Work’ opportunities for migrant workers.
  • Building capacity of officials of the Department of International Human Rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on labour and human rights protection of vulnerable population groups, including migrant workers: Trained and sensitized department personnel, held national and local consultations throughout Indonesia, and organised seminars and trainings for national and local officials, local human rights study centre staff and other national and local stakeholder representatives.
  • Building capacity of officials of the National Migration Agency (BNP2TKI) to develop and implement the Agency’s Mandate: Developed training manuals and facilitated Trainings of Trainers on the placement and protection of migrant workers, the marketing and promotion of ‘decent work’ opportunities for migrant workers and bilateral agreements and negotiating skills.
  • Sensitization seminar with Indonesian national and local stakeholders on International Best Policy and Administrative Practices for the Transfer & Promotion of Productive Utilization of Remittances: Support to BNP2TKI for a seminar for national and local stakeholders to present the findings and recommendations of a study on Indonesian regulations on remittances and transfers and implementation of programmes which support a more flexible, faster and cheaper transfer system for remittances.
  • Sensitization Seminar with Indonesian national and local stakeholders on the Status of Indonesian Labour Migration Policies: Facilitated a seminar for national and local stakeholders to present the findings and recommendations of a legal analysis of labour migration.
  • Sensitization Seminar with Indonesian stakeholders on International Best Policy and Administrative Practices for Employment Centres: Support to BNP2TKI for a seminar to present the findings and recommendations of an assessment of the feasibility of integrating employment centres for migrant workers into existing administrative structures.
  • Capacity building for national and local stakeholders: Trainings of Trainers for key representatives and resource persons from migrant workers associations, trade unions and officials from BNP2TKI, BP3TKI and local Ministry of Manpower offices on human rights and migration management systems, institutional capacity building and organizing of migrant workers, pre-departure training and para-legal training. Step-down trainings will be undertaken by the participating organizations themselves.
  • Planning Session for BNP2TKI: Facilitation of a high-level planning session in February 2008 for BNP2TKI, to contribute towards the organizational structure and operational goals of BNP2TKI.
  • Planning Sessions for the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs and other Government Agencies: Facilitation of planning sessions for the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs and the National Labour Migration Working Groups, consisting of all mandated ministries, as well as the financial sector, under its coordination in 2008. The session discussed international principles and best practices, and facilitated a dialogue between the different agencies, aiming to strengthen the capacity of Ministry personnel to update and strengthen the 2006 Presidential Instruction.
  • Capacity building of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong: Support for capacity-building of migrant domestic workers’ trade union leaders and members, as well as public awareness raising and advocacy by these trade unions.
  • Capacity building for police officials on the gender-sensitive investigation and referral of abused migrant domestic workers: Supporting for the development of a training curriculum, training materials, TOT and supervised step-down trainings on investigating and referring cases of abused migrant domestic workers.
  • Capacity building for the trade union UNI-MLC in organizing and providing assistance to migrant workers: Support to UNI-MLC, which collaborates with migrant workers’ associations in Malaysia, for the development of a training programme for organizing and assisting migrant workers, and setting up help desks in branch offices. Support was given for the training curriculum, training materials, one TOT and one supervised step-down training by the UNI-MLC Master Trainers.
  • Technical support for the MTUC (Malaysian Trade Union Congress), on organizing and providing assistance to migrant workers: MTUC requested technical assistance to develop a proper training programme for organizing and assisting migrant workers, and setting up help desks in branch offices. The project supported the training of members in branch offices to organize migrant domestic workers, establish help desks and provided needed services.
  • Capacity building for local stakeholders in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong: Capacity-building activities with local stakeholders: domestic workers’ trade union leaders and members in Hong Kong, and trade union representatives, NGOs, and migrant workers associations in Singapore and larger urban centres in Malaysia. These trainings serve as institutional capacity-building for these stakeholder organizations on advocacy, case reporting, policy negotiations, mobilizing and organizing migrant workers in local user-groups, as well as providing services and assistance to migrant workers.