East Asia Forum, Philippines, 3 March 2018 - Despite the November 2017 Manila Consensus’s renewed commitment to protecting migrant rights, recent revelations of the torture and death of an Indonesian maid in Malaysia have cast doubt over the efficacy of ASEAN’s efforts. Sceptics have claimed the death of Adelina Lisao as evidence for the ephemeral nature of ASEAN’s commitments. They are wrong: the region has not turned its back on its migrant workers.
The News Lens, Asia, 1 March 2018 - As demand for documented migrant labor has risen across Asia, smugglers have been replaced with migration brokers, who utilize and manage webs of relationships to send workers abroad. With knowledge of both the intricacies of bureaucracy and the informal world of local communities, they are an essential part of the international migration infrastructure.
South China Morning Post, China, 28 February 2018 - Hong Kong will issue a “talent list” by the middle of the year to attract foreign labour and ease the city’s manpower shortage amid a rapidly ageing population, the finance chief said on Wednesday.
Myanmar Times, Myanmar, 28 February 2018 - The Department of Labour Migration has warned workers seeking overseas job to be wary of fraudulent employment agencies that operate without licenses.
The Kathmandu Post, Nepal, 25 February 2018 - Along with the population shift into the cities, rural Nepali women have been increasingly migrating to urban areas in search of freedom for themselves and better education and healthcare for their children. The high cost of living in the cities forces them to work on construction sites or as street vendors and tea sellers. They also find work in food processing and packaging, dance bars, grocery stores, beauty parlours and boutiques. The informal economy is said to be exploitative, risky and a poverty trap, but, in fact, it has opened a door for women’s emancipation.
CNN, SIngapore, 25 February 2018 - It's a bustle of activity in the drop-in center. Men line up to sign their names in a book and claim tokens for a free meal, redeemable at cheap restaurants in Singapore's Little India district.
ABC News, Malaysia, 24 February 2018 - Malaysian prosecutors have charged a 60-year-old woman and her daughter over the death of a young Indonesian woman employed as their domestic maid.
Jakarta Globe, Indonesia, 22 February 2018 - Indonesia has sent a diplomatic note to Malaysia calling for it to take immediate steps to prevent violence against Indonesian migrant workers and to ensure that their rights are upheld.
The Diplomat, ASEAN, 22 February 2018 - New cases have once again pointed to an old challenge that needs to be urgently tackled.
Human Rights Watch, Philippines, 21 February 2018 - The Philippines’ new ban on Filipinos migrating to Kuwait for work is likely to increase abuses of workers who are forced to resort to unsafe and unregulated channels to enter the country, Human Rights Watch said today. Kuwait and the Philippines should instead agree on key reforms that could more effectively protect migrant domestic workers in Kuwait.
Department of Economic and Social Affairs Division for Social Policy and Development, Global, 20 February 2018 - 2018 Theme: “Workers on the Move: the Quest for Social Justice”
International Labour Organization, Global, 20 February 2018 - Fair treatment for the world’s 150 million migrant workers is in everyone’s interest, and requires labour migration to be well-governed and effective, says ILO Director-General Guy Ryder.
Malaysian Digest, Malaysia, 19 February 2018 - The news of an Indonesian maid named Adelina Lisao, who was abused to death by her employers in Penang, sickened me to the core – especially upon learning the details that led to her death.
Asian Correspondent, China, 16 February 2018 - TEACHING English in China could become a viable alternative for overseas Filipino workers, following the country’s ban on moving to Kuwait after seven workers’ deaths.
Hong Kong Free Press, China, 14 February 2018 - Hundreds of migrants gathered outside City Hall on Sunday as part of the One Billion Rising global solidarity event against exploitation and violence against women in Hong Kong and in their countries of origin. The rally was organised by the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB-IMA-HK) and local womens’ organisations.
