Regional Component (ILO-DFID Regional Programme to Promote Fair Recruitment, Safe Migration and Decent Work for Women Migrant Workers in South Asia and the Middle East)

The ILO-DFID partnership programme is a five-year, inter-regional technical cooperation programme that will take a targeted approach to prevent the trafficking of women and girls in South Asia and the Middle East. The overall development objective is to address key drivers and vulnerabilities of trafficking, such as poverty and gender inequality, through an integrated prevention strategy of safe migration and decent work. At least 100,000 women and girls will be reached in South Asia - (India, Nepal, and Bangladesh) - as source countries for migrant workers and in major destination countries for migrant workers (India, U.A.E, Lebanon and Jordan). Key stakeholders will include governments, social partners, the private sector, NGOs and importantly, the voice and participation of women migrant workers themselves. Interventions will take a labour and criminal law focus and community based approach, to transform the labour market imbalances that exacerbate women worker vulnerabilities to trafficking while strengthening monitoring and enforcement measures. In key countries of destination and origin, the programme will work with key stakeholders to empower and better protect women migrant workers and girls and reduce the demand of cheap and exploitable labour by creating incentives for companies, recruitment agencies and employers. Interventions will also include partnerships with governments on laws and policies that better protect migrant workers, including bilateral cooperation arrangements between countries of origin and destination. It will also work closely with research organisations to build a strong evidence base on what anti-trafficking interventions work and why. In South Asia, internal and cross border migration will be addressed, with an initial focus on the domestic work sector. In later stages of the project, interventions addressing unacceptable forms of work in the garment industries in South Asia will be explored through a process of tripartite consultation and dialogue. In UAE and Lebanon, the programme will focus on providing services, support and protection to migrant domestic workers while in Jordan partnerships will be forged with major apparel brands, suppliers and recruiters to create ethical recruitment corridors.

Project symbol

RAS/13/55/UKM

Admin unit

DWT/CO-New Delhi

Start date

20/04/2013

End date

31/07/2018

Total allocation

10681398

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

10494633

Development Partners

United Kingdom, Department for International Development

Country/Countries

Asia and the Pacific - regional

Outcomes

Outcome 7: Adequate and effective protection at work for all