draft

March 8 2007

MFA Statement

As we celebrate International Women's Day, we call upon the international community to uphold the rights and well being of women migrant workers. Women migrant workers constitute half of the total 200 million migrant workers of the world. A big number of women workers are employed as domestic workers, as health care workers, factory workers and as workers in the entertainment industry. Asia is home more than fifty million migrant workers.

We also call on the international community to celebrate the contributions of women migrant workers to the economic, social, cultural and political aspects of various countries in the world. Women migrant workers have contributed to the growth and development of both countries of destination and origin.

We would also like to recognize the conditions and challenges that women migrant workers face. Globalization and the World Trade Organization's(WTO) neo-liberal agenda has led to worsening of poverty,  unsustainable development and the marginalization of specific sectors. This in turn causes increasing incidence of migration as working abroad become for most women, the only option to survive or improve their lives.

Militarism and stricter border controls, arising from national security-oriented government policies and the U.S.-led "War on Terror" have led to increased vulnerability of migrant women, forcing them to migrate through undocumented channels. The criminalization of undocumented migrant workers and crackdowns are often accompanied by human rights abuses and violence against women.

We would also like to highlight the following issues and challenges faced by women migrants

Recognize Domestic Work as Work!

Migrant domestic workers are among the most vulnerable sectors of workers due to the multiple forms of discrimination they face –based on social identities of class, gender, race and citizenship – the confinement of domestic work to private households and the "invisibility"and isolation of domestic workers. Migrant women domestic workers are often subject to the denial of decent work and living conditions, such as no rest-days, long and unregulated work hours, physical and sexual harassment and abuse, and denial of reproductive health rights. Such conditions pose additional obstacles to their self representation and reinforce difficulties in organizing and engaging in collective bargaining.

We note with deep concern that in many countries domestic work has yet to be recognized as work. The implications of this include non-coverage of domestic work under national labour legislation human and labour rights violations, and most importantly, denial of the fundamental right of domestic workers is a key tool in combating the violations of all the fundamental principles and rights at work, including in respect of freedom from forced labour and non-discrimination.

Therecognition of migrant domestic workers goes hand in hand with upholding women migrants right to freedom of association, right to join and form associations and trade unions. In most countries of destination women migrant workers are not allowed to form and join associations and trade unions.

Uphold women migrants rights to health!

The right to health is a basic human right guaranteed in the International Bill of Rights and the core human rights instruments of the United Nations, namely: the International Convention on the Elimination of all  forms of Discrimination (CERD), Convention Against Torture (CAT), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their families.  Women migrants right to health should be guaranteed regardless of the their status.

In most instances however, this is not the case. Women migrant workers are often placed in working and living situations where they are exposed to vulnerabilities such as violence and abuse. A big number of women migrant workers in particular migrant domestic workers do not have access to health care due to the nature of their jobs. Domestic workers are seldom allowed to leave their employer's thus they have limited or no access to health facilities and services. Since they are also not covered by the local labour law of most countries of destination, domestic workers do have access to health insurance or health care privileges.

Women migrant workers in conflict situations are exposed to danger and are caught armed conflict situations. Testimonies of women migrants in areas of conflict has shown us that some of them are prevented from leaving their workplace while some get injured in the process of escaping from their workplace.

In some countries of destination women migrant workers who are pregnant are also forcibly repatriated.

The absence of gender sensitive legislations that take into full account the needs of women migrants including access to reproductive and maternal health care, right to privacy and personhood, right to life and basic right to health in both countries of destination and origin of women migrant workers put women migrants' in vulnerable situation.

In light of the above issues we therefore call for the following:

�	The ratification and effective implementation of the UN Migrant Workers Convention on the protection of migrant workers and members of their families, the core human rights conventions of the United Nations, the fundamental Conventions of the ILO and those that pertain to migrant workers;

�	The recognition of women migrant domestic workers as workers and their inclusion into the local labour law

�	MFA calls for an intensifying of its region-wide campaign against unjust and

discriminatory policies towards FDWs as exemplified by the ‘new conditions of stay" (NCS ) and "2-week rule" in Hong Kong

�	Uphold and protect women migrants right to mobility, freedom to join and form association and trade unions; and

�	The enactment of gender sensitive laws take into consideration the specific needs of women migrant workers including among others: access to services and information on health, reproductive and maternity health care.

- Migrant Forum in Asia