UN EXPERT GROUP RECOMMENDS MEASURES TO PROTECT WOMEN MIGRANT WORKERS AGAINST VIOLENCE

Press Release
WOM/920

UN EXPERT GROUP RECOMMENDS MEASURES TO PROTECT WOMEN MIGRANT WORKERS AGAINST VIOLENCE

MANILA, 31 May (UN Information Centre) -- The Expert Group Meeting on Violence against Women concluded its five-day session in Manila today by adopting a series of recommendations to the General Assembly for improving coordination and indicators to determine the situation of women migrant workers.

The Group called for measures to collect data and identify women migrant workers who were particularly vulnerable to violence, such as women without appropriate documentation, underage women, those recruited by unlicensed agents and those who had been victims of violence in their country of origin.

It called on the United Nations commission studies aimed at obtaining an in-depth understanding of the impact of violence of women workers, their families and their communities.

The Expert Group Meeting was organized by the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, following the adoption of General Assembly resolution 50/168 last year which requested the Secretary-General to convene such a meeting. It was attended by experts from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Kuwait, Philippines and Singapore. Observers from 14 countries, the United Nations system, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations also attended.

The most significant result of the meeting was the adoption of a series of indicators to measure degrees of violence and vulnerability experienced by women migrant workers throughout the world. These indicators will enable policy makers to assess the extent of the problem involved and to determine the most effective policies for their solutions..

The Group also recommended that certain actions should be taken to protect women migrant workers. According to the Group, governments should ensure full protection to de facto migrants and provide them with adequate support services and social benefits. Migrant workers should be provided with extensive pre-departure information on the laws, culture and working and living conditions of receiving societies.

The Group was of the view that States should be held accountable for their inaction on violence against women migrant workers and steps should be taken to provide these workers with equal protection of law.

The experts recommended that measures should be taken to eliminate the traffic in human beings, such as prostitution and other forms of commercialized sex, forced marriages and forced labour. Governments should adopt criminal, civil and financial sanctions to prosecute those involved in trafficking and the victims should be assisted in bringing legal action against the perpetrators.

On the opening day, Daiva K. Statiulis, Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Carlton University, Canada, was elected Chairperson; and Alcestis Abrera-Mangahas, expert from the Philippines was elected Rapporteur. Professor David Cos, expert from Australia, served as Chairperson for the closing sessions.

The meeting was opened on Monday, 27 May, by Angela E.V. King, Director, Division for the Advancement of Women, on behalf of the Secretary-General. Senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani made a statement on behalf of the Philippines, the host country. Patricia B. Licuanan, of the Philippines, who was the Chairperson of the Main Committee of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in 1995 in Beijing, was the moderator of the opening meeting.

In her statement, Ms. King said that the Philippines had taken a lead in seeking to address the problems of women migrant workers. While it had a stake in addressing violence against women migrant workers, its concern with the issue was based on its concern with justice for all women migrant workers, regardless of their country of origin.

Ms. King stated that there was enough evidence, that women migrant workers often suffered conditions which contravened international norms. Various resolutions of the General Assembly, the reports of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and the reports of the Secretary-General had made concrete suggestions about what should be done by sending and receiving States, by international organizations and by the concerned non- governmental community.

She noted that a long-standing recommendation was that sending and receiving States enter into bilateral arrangement to ensure that women migrant workers' rights were protected both on recruitment in the sending country and in their work in the receiving country. However, many issues remained to be addressed, including those concerning bilateral agreements.

Senator Ramos-Shahani stated that her country had long called for world action on the concerns and issues confronting migrants, especially women

- 3 - Press Release WOM/920 5 June 1996

migrant workers. It had continued to urge other countries to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Their Families. It also aimed to negotiate bilateral agreements with countries that received and employ Filipino migrant workers.

"I must admit that, more often than not, we are frustrated in our efforts. The Convention has so far only six signatories, all of them sending countries like the Philippines. Our initiative of concluding bilateral agreements concerning migrant workers is also met with resistance from most governments," she said.

She noted that the Philippines was a major country of origin of a significant number of migrant workers all over the world. In 1995 there were 719,602 legal workers deployed in various jobs abroad. Aside from them, there were also a large number of illegal workers who faced all kinds of risk to earn those precious dollars.

The protection of women migrant workers was one of the major issues that the Philippines advocated for at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, she continued. The Beijing Platform for Action recognized women migrant workers as one of the groups particularly vulnerable to violence whose legal status in the host country depended on employers who might exploit their situation. That provision alone allowed the Philippines sufficient mandate to continue with its effort of negotiating with host countries to put in place programmes and legislation for their protection and welfare.

She appealed to the participants at the meeting to look beyond statistics and protectionist interests. "These women migrant workers are mothers, wives, sisters and daughters, who leave all that are dear and familiar to them and risk working in a foreign land with an alien culture and traditions, who become vulnerable to violence, their rights and dignity violated, all because of an opportunity to ensure the survival of their families," she added.

* *** *