A lack of information, the existence of illicit brokers and unreasonably high recruitment fees were all issues highlighted at a workshop held recently by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to discuss improving remedy mechanisms for migrant workers from Cambodia to Japan.
Taking place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 22 July 2024 the event heard from stakeholders about challenges, ongoing efforts and possible future collaborative strategies to improve migrant workers' access to remedy.
"Migrant workers are vulnerable because they live and work in a foreign country. They commonly face various problems in the workplace and daily life due to language barriers, legal complexity, and lack of understanding by society," said Akira Kawasaki, Technical Officer on Labour Migration at the ILO. "It is therefore important that effective remedy mechanisms are available, understood and put to use to support those in need."
The workshop was attended by 25 resource persons from Cambodia's Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT), National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT), Association of Cambodian Recruitment Agencies (ACRA), trade unions, and civil society organizations (CSOs). Representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) also took part to share their views and join the discussions.
The workshop was organized as part of an ILO project entitled Survey for Co-creating a Joint Work Plan for Improving Access to Remedy of Migrant Workers from Southeast Asia to Japan which is supported by the government of Japan. The initiative focusses on Cambodia, Viet Nam and Indonesia and seeks to consolidate inputs from these countries to develop a joint work plan involving various international and national stakeholders concerning remedies for migrant workers.
