Daily Times, Pakistan, 29 August 2018 - Pakistani migrant workers in Greece have it tough. Not least in terms of living conditions. This week alone has seen regional authorities in the country’s North Eastern Aegean islands renew calls for Athens to take action against camp overcrowding. They want to see a ‘cull’ of at least 10,000 individuals transferred to the mainland by as early as next month. Yet the capital has its own problems; with migrants protesting the dire conditions at the Malakasa camp.
Dhaka Tribune, Bangladesh, 29 August 2018 - Some 50 Bangladeshi female migrant workers, currently trapped in the Saudi Arabian capital, have sent a video message seeking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s help for their safe return home.
News Deeply, Global, 29 August 2018 - Jahanara had had enough. For a year, the Bangladeshi cook had been working 12 to 16 hours a day, eating only leftovers and sleeping on the kitchen floor of her employer’s Abu Dhabi home – all for half the salary she had been promised. She had to prepare four fresh meals a day for the eight-member family, who gave her little rest. She was tired, she had no phone and she was alone. So, in the summer of 2014, in the middle of the night after a long day’s work, she snuck out into the driveway, scaled the front gate and escaped.
All-China Women's Federation, China, 28 August 2018 - Three young female migrant workers in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province recently spoke to interviewers to share their new criteria when finding a job, according to a recent media profile.
The Nation, Thailand, 26 August 2018 - Checks on nearly 50,000 foreign workers at establishments in the past month had led to the arrest of 1,162 illegal workers and the prosecution of 204 law-breaking employers, Department of Employment (DOE) chief Anurak Tossarat said .
Solidarity Center, Thailand, 23 August 2018 - Two female migrant workers from Myanmar were arrested in Thailand, fined and await deportation for volunteering their time to teach children of migrant workers at a Buddhist monastery, an action the Thailand-based Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF) is calling “illegitimate and unjustified.”
International Labour Organization, Global, 23 August 2018 - Domestic workers are one of the groups most vulnerable to exploitation, violence, harassment, and forced labour. International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition reminds us that many women end up being trapped in abusive work situations which in some cases may amount to modern forms of slavery.
The Star Online, Malaysia, 13 Aug 2018 - A cluster of foreign workers quarters was razed to the ground in a fire at a construction site here.
South China Morning Post, China, 11 August 2018 - The Labour Department intends to begin publishing blacklists of rogue employment agencies online to help Hong Kong jobseekers, especially domestic helpers, stay clear of unscrupulous operators such as those charging exorbitant fees.
South China Morning Post, China, 11 August 2018 - Social enterprises and non-profit organisations are using apps and other tools to cut costs and offer cheaper loans to foreign domestic workers across Asia, who are often excluded from traditional banking
Hong Kong Free Press, China, 7 August 2018 - One-third of migrant domestic workers’ income is spent on agency fees or loans, according to NGOs Mission for Migrant Workers (MFWM) and Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants.
Bangkok Post, Thailand, 6 August 2018 - A plan to attract thousands of foreign workers into the Thai fishing industry is taking shape with Labour Minister Adul Sangsingkeo likely to meet his counterparts from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam after Aug 15 to establish the terms.
New Straits Times, Malaysia, 6 August 2018 - The government should introduce a ratio system that allows for the hiring of a maximum number of foreign workers in a company based on its total workforce.
Yahoo News, Malaysia, 29 July 2018 - ENFORCEMENT agencies that vowed to rid the country of all illegal immigrants must recognise the actual number out there to address this problem once and for all, said those in direct contact with labour-intensive economic sectors.
Science Advances, Global, 25 July 2018 - The seafood supply chain is often long and fragmented, and slavery is a tenacious problem. The vast majority of workers are engaged in the early stages of production and often employed through subcontracts or brokers. We hypothesized that food companies could identify risks and implement improvements by adding a labor safety dimension to their tracking and traceability systems. We designed a five-point framework—the Labor Safe Screen—and tested it for 118 products. The framework combines the use of technology in existing platforms with the collection of industry data and authoritative human rights data. Eighteen food companies used three or more components of the framework and systematically documented their supply chains, engaged suppliers, and cross-checked results. The companies were able to identify areas where working conditions met minimum principles, were unknown, or were inadequate. Three companies also incorporated direct worker feedback to focus resources and improve working conditions. We conclude that food companies can effectively and efficiently assess and reduce risks of forced labor in seafood supply chains—not to claim “no slavery” but to greatly improve their awareness of the labor conditions in the making of the products they trade and to identify feasible targets for further diligence and remedies.
