Tripartite Action to Protect Migrants from Labour Exploitation (ASEAN TRIANGLE)

In recent years, labour migration flows in Southeast Asia have grown in volume and complexity. The ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) sent an estimated 13.5 million migrants abroad in 2005, over five million of whom moved within the region. The continued growth of labour migration within and from Southeast Asia can be attributed to a number of factors, including demographic evolution, income disparities, human security concerns, established migrant networks and improved transportation links. As the number of women and men migrants within and from Southeast Asia grows, so do the opportunities for unscrupulous job brokers and employers to take advantage of them. Moreover, irregular migration thrives because of the various disincentives that make licensed recruitment channels unattractive to low-skilled women and men migrants. The procedures are lengthy, complicated and not transparent; and the high costs involved can lead migrants into debt or debt bondage. Legal channels are supposed to ensure the protection of the migrant worker, but even documented workers are not guaranteed decent working conditions. Various studies into the living and working conditions of low-skilled migrants in the region reveal that indicators of abuse commonly associated with labour exploitation are widespread. These ‘red flags’ include deception about wages, type of work and legal status; withheld wages; retained passports or identity documents; physical confinement; substandard working conditions, and threats of denunciation to the authorities. Other abuses such as excessive working hours, hazardous working conditions, physical and sexual abuse, etc. are also prevalent in many of the sectors in which women and men migrants work. There is insufficient regulation of the recruitment process and inadequate enforcement of labour protection laws. Few aggrieved migrant workers complain about their brokers or employers because they are afraid to lose their jobs and their work permits. Documented migrants either accept the conditions or ‘run away’ to look for better remuneration (i.e. no wage deductions) as an undocumented worker. But women and men with illegal status are even more vulnerable and more reluctant to complain even under the most abusive circumstances. There is mounting evidence that in a sound policy and governance context, labour migration can deliver significant development dividends not only to the country of destination, but equally to the migrant and their origin country. However, the potential development gains of labour migration in the region are being diluted by major inequities, inefficiencies, consumption and excessive rent-taking. When migrants return to their countries of origin, either at the end of their contracts or prematurely, they usually re-migrate because of a lack of alternative livelihood opportunities in their hometowns. This re-migration is often irregular and often prompted by debts incurred from the initial migration experience – and therefore leads to even greater risk. In recent years, national legal frameworks for addressing the exploitation of labour migrants have been strengthened, but gaps and inconsistencies remain (Annex 7). Labour mobility and labour migration have long been priorities for the ASEAN Labour Ministers. In 2007, the ASEAN member states signed the Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers and a committee charged with its implementation was subsequently formed. In addition, the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Human Trafficking (COMMIT), a sub-regional government process involving all six countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), has supported bilateral and multilateral policy and programme interventions. Tripartite Action to Protect Migrants from Labour Exploitation (the TRIANGLE project) aims to significantly reduce the exploitation of labour migrants in the region through increased legal a

Project symbol

RAS/12/01/CAN

Admin unit

RO-Asia and the Pacific

Start date

23/03/2012

End date

30/09/2016

Total allocation

5154459

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

5154459

Development Partners

Canada, Global Affairs Canada

Country/Countries

Asia and the Pacific - regional

Outcomes

Promoting fair and effective labour migration policies