Regional meet on migrant workers begins
Nisha Varia speaks at a discussion on Protecting Asian Migrants' Rights at Jatiya Press Club in the city yesterday. On her right are Dr Chowdhury Abrar and William Gois. Three organisations, including Migrant Forum in Asia, organised the discussion demanding steps to protect migrant workers. Photo: STAR
Coordination of Action Research on Aids and Mobility (CARAM) yesterday expressed concern over the government decision to send large number of women migrant workers as domestic workers to Saudi Arabia a country that has seen increasing cases of abuse and rights violations. CARAM, an international NGO, raised the concerns at the two-day long 4th regional consultative meeting on Asian contractual migrant workers held in the city yesterday as a part of the Colombo Process, says a press release. Also, Human Rights Watch, Migrant Forum in Asia, and Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit jointly organised a press conference on the occasion at the National Press Club in the city. At the conference, Nisha Varia, senior women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said migrant worker abuses often take place due to information gaps, poor coordination, and job competition. Therefore, the Dhaka meeting where different country representatives will sit around the table and address these problems together will prove helpful, she said. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) provides technical support to the Colombo Process and serves as its secretariat. The countries attending the Colombo Process include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. Eight observer members will represent the countries of employment namely Bahrain, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Qatar, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
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