Meeting the Challenge

1. Meeting the Challenge Confronting the Problem and Presenting Solutions to Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region Thetis Mangahas Allan Dow Cairns, Australia - 5 August 2008

2. Confronting the problem Building the knowledge base • Within a labor migration framework, what is the extent of the problem? • What are the aggravating factors? • What sectors of work are most affected and who are the people worst affected?

3. What did we learn? • Increasing share of children and youth (30% of migrants below age 25) • Children come with parents; youth on their own; • They are unable to access education and social services due to irregular status or fear; • They endure abuse & difficult working conditions; • Young women and men affected in different ways and jobs clustered according to gender

4. What did we learn? • Exploitation occurs against a background of social tolerance and exploitation. • Many employers unaware of national laws regarding migrants’ and children’s rights • Migrants often view informal recruiters in a positive light – providing better and cheaper services • Under-regulated sectors foster employer impunity: seafood/fishing, domestic work, construction, prostitution, tourism-related entertainment

5. Indications of exploitation • Restricted freedom of movement (outside work hours) • Constraints preventing workers from leaving their workplaces even during time off • Debt bondage and deductions • Violence • No control over documents • Excessive work hours • Lack of rest days

6. What we did: • With partners, contributed to policy and local level change: • targeted poverty reduction and employment alternatives; • improving migration management and recruitment practices; • address exploitation directly with outreach to those at risk, and monitoring exploitative work sectors; • start-up activities on longer term return and reintegration work • Demonstrated the value of working simultaneously throughout the migration chain (from source to destination) • Video documentation examples of on the ground work

7. Working with Governments • Multilateral and Bilateral work with Governments • Research sub-regional recruitment practices affecting migrant workers & offering ways to improve them; • Train on improved recruitment practices in sectors where young people face exploitation; • Produce awareness-raising materials for vulnerable groups (Travel Smart – Work Smart); • Support coordinated implementation of laws and approaches to respond to the needs of migrants, children and victims at all levels

8. Working with workers • Bringing together labor-rights advocates • To recruit them in the fight to better protect those with little protection – including migrants – and help build support networks (e.g. legal teams) • To help us better understand the situation on the ground and learn the correct responses

9. Working with employers • Bringing together socially responsible employers • To help employers meet their hiring needs and improve accountability • To recruit their organizations in the fight against exploitative employers and agents

10. Working with communities • Through NGOs, women’s/children’s advocates • To offer livelihood options and skills training closer to home (an alternative to migration) • To help young people (esp. girls) remain in school longer • To give a voice to those who’s views are rarely consulted (e.g. Children/Youth Forums) • To reach, inform, shelter, provide services for migrants at risk

11. Public and Policy Advocacy • To break down negative stereo-types about migrants, women, girls. • Actively encourage the inclusive bottom-up approach while working simultaneously at policy levels • Lobby for better protection and access to social services for young migrant workers at destinations

12. Meeting the Challenge Keeping the promise to our stakeholders.. Here are some of their views