For Immediate Release: 9th November 2010

Contact: Tina Lee

Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)
Ph: (66) 53 284527 │  Fax (66) 53 280847

tina@apwld.org│www.apwld.org

 

Rights at risk at the Global Forum on Migration and Development

A leading women rights organisation has urged governments to put rights at the centre of their discussions on migration and development this week. The Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) today launched a new publication to advance the rights of domestic workers and in doing so expressed concern that some governments are happy to enable migration as a cheap source of labour for the Global North while some countries from the Global South see it as a source of foreign income via remittances.

 “We urge governments to put human rights at the centre of their discussions on migration and development” said APWLD Regional Coordinator, Kate Lappin. “A purely market driven approach to migration exacerbates the exploitation of women, it makes the exploitation of women’s labour and bodies highly profitable for some”.

The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) is an annual intergovernmental meeting which this year takes place in Mexico. The theme this year is “Partnerships for Migration and Development: Shared Prosperity – Shared Responsibility”. APWLD insists that shared responsibility starts with a rights based approach to labour migration.

“The GFMD can only be a success if some substantive commitments to advancing the rights of migrant workers are made. Those commitments include: A commitment to a strong International Labour Organisation Convention on Domestic Workers; a recognition that Domestic Work is Work and should be remunerated as such; the eradication of labour laws that treat migrant workers, including undocumented workers, differently to other workers; a recognition of migrant workers rights to organise and unionise; strong regulation of agencies and intermediaries who profit from migration”.

Members of the United for Foreign Domestic Workers Rights (UFDWR), including APWLD, are today launching a new advocacy tool to advance domestic workers rights titled “The Right To Unite”.  “This handbook captures the contexts of ten countries in the region in relation to domestic worker rights. Time and time again, we have proven that when amplified by our collectivity, our voices can foster change. It is our hope for this publication and it is the driving force behind our struggle for domestic worker rights to organise,” said Eni Lestari, domestic worker and domestic worker rights activist.

For further information please contact Tina Lee: tina@apwld.org

 

 

BACKGROUND

About “The Right to Unite: A Handbook on Domestic Worker Rights across Asia”

This new resource tool is both an introduction to women and domestic work in Asia and an in depth look at the hidden violations of domestic worker rights in ten countries in the region. Designed for advocacy, this handbook breaks down information country by country. It contains the latest ILO instruments on domestic work and analyses them in relation to women domestic worker rights. It identifies gaps, highlights concerns and gives concrete recommendations for change.

Most domestic workers are not recognised in their national labour laws as workers and therefore their rights are not protected. The recruitment agencies and employers exploit this lack of protection and are given impunity to treat the domestic workers as they see fit. Domestic workers in most countries do not have the legal right to a weekly day off, public holidays or leave with pay, even when the rights are included in the law; employers do not often respect them. This is not only dangerous to their health and general well-being, it also means that domestic workers are further isolated and affectively unable to join or participate in associations or unions. This guidebook demonstrates that in most Asian countries, domestic workers’ right to freedom of association and right to organise are not included or protected in the law, leaving them unable to have collective representation to protect their own rights and to call for justice when their rights are violated.

“The Right to Unite” is available to download from www.apwld.org.

The guidebook also includes the UFDWR analysis of the International Labour Organisation Proposed Convention and Recommendation on Domestic Work. This detailed analysis gives recommendations for amendment to the instruments and details the important issues for women domestic workers that are currently not addressed. UFDWR will be submitting this analysis to the International Labour Organisation in preparation for the finalisation of the instruments at the International Labour Conference next year. UFDWRs is therefore calling for individual and organisational endorsements for this submission, please go to www.apwld.org or http://ufdwrs.blogspot.com/ for the link to include your endorsement (before the 17th Nov).