- Home
- World
- News
- Migrant workers in south-east Asia lack access to fair, responsive legal remedies: UN report
Migrant Workers In South-east Asia Lack Access To Fair, Responsive Legal Remedies: UN Report
Umer Jamshaid Published July 31, 2017 | 10:55 AM
UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Jul, 2017 ) : Access to justice is often out of reach for migrant workers in South-east Asia, the United Nations labour agency reported in a new study that shows non-governmental organizations assisting more often than Government officials or trade unions.
"Barriers to accessing formal assistance are one of the key reasons why migrant workers are vulnerable to labour rights violations during recruitment and employment," Tomoko Nishimoto, UN International Labour Organization's (ILO) Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, said in the forward to the report Access to justice for migrant workers in South-east Asia.
The report found that while the estimated 20.2 million migrant workers originating from South-east Asia have equal access to labour rights and social protections in the countries in which they work, adding "they frequently experience unequal and discriminatory treatment in practice." Lack of written evidence, high cost of legal assistance, fear of retaliation and language barriers are among the challenges to accessing justice noted in the report.
The authors argue that there is a substantial and largely unmet demand for fair and responsive remedies in the countries surveyed.
The study is based on complaint case data gathered by Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs) from 2011 to 2015.
Detailed information on over 1,000 cases involving more than 7,000 women and men migrant workers was documented in Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam, establishing the largest regional dataset of migrant complaints compiled within South-East Asia.
"Migrant workers' vulnerability to exploitation is exacerbated by the absence of fair, efficient and accessible means to resolve grievances when they occur," Ben Harkins, ILO Technical Officer and lead author of the report, said.
Most migrant workers who are faced with situations of exploitation and abuse seek practical resolutions, such as disbursement of unpaid wages, deployment to destination countries and return of identification documents, ILO reported.
"It is clear that these demands are not adequately met through enforcement of labour and human trafficking laws currently and that greater efforts are needed to ensure that migrant workers are provided with just remedies," Harkins said. Its release comes ahead of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, marked annually on 30th July. APP/ia/ahn
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Tennis: ATP Barcelona Open results - 1st update
Swiatek's perfect 10 in Stuttgart as Vondrousova stuns Sabalenka
Arandu's roads closed due to flooding
Oil tanker catches fire in Islamabad’s Blue Area
Pakistan committed to ensure safety of foreign nationals: FO
Tennis: WTA Stuttgart results - 1st update
Four passengers injured as train hit an empty vehicle
Over- speeding bus crushed to death two bike riders
Turkey's Freedom Flotilla ready to set sail for Gaza
French teen dies from heart failure after knife attack near school
Iranians appear unfazed by Isfahan blasts
UAF celebrates Int'l Chinese Language Day
More Stories From World
-
Togo lawmakers approve contested political reform
4 hours ago -
NATO must choose 'whether we indeed are allies': Zelensky
4 hours ago -
US House to vote on Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan aid package
4 hours ago -
Calls for calm after reported Israeli strike on Iran
5 hours ago -
IMF calls on EU to deepen single market integration to boost growth
5 hours ago -
Second Ecuadoran mayor killed ahead of anti-crime referendum: police
5 hours ago
-
Oil, gas drilling blocked in Alaska wilds as Biden seeks green cred
5 hours ago -
Man sets self on fire outside Trump trial
5 hours ago -
Turkey's Freedom Flotilla ready to set sail for Gaza
7 hours ago -
French teen dies from heart failure after knife attack near school
7 hours ago -
Iranians appear unfazed by Isfahan blasts
7 hours ago -
Ecuador mayor killed ahead of anti-crime referendum: police
7 hours ago