INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:

Kathmandu, November 14 International conference on ‘Protection of Rights of the Migrant Workers&, organised by the National Human Rights

Commission concluded today with 21-point Kathmandu Declaration. The NHRC organised three-day international conference that brought together

migration experts, activists and stakeholders, NHRC representatives from more than a dozen countries, along with UN, non-government

organisations, civil society organisations, practitioners and academicians. Extensive discussion was held on various challenges and

prospects for protecting rights of migrant workers, particularly focused on the situation in South&East migration in the Asia-Pacific Region

during the conference. The declaration has decided to enhance institutionalised networking of human right institutions at bilateral and

regional levels, for cooperation, collaboration and advocacy to respect and protect the rights of migrant workers and their families. It has

categorised Countries of Origin (COOs), Countries of Transit (COT) and Countries of Destination (CODs) in relation to migration process, and

has vowed to establish mechanisms to provide effective access to justice to migrant workers, who were victims of various forms of rights

violation. It would address problems of discrimination and violence against women migrant workers such as trafficking, physical and sexual

abuse, labour exploitation, denying basic wages, subjecting them to slavery and servitude like conditions, substandard health, safety and

security, according to the declaration

It has promised to open more legal and safe pathways for women migrant workers to achieve gender equality in the migration process by making

special arrangements between the COOs and CODs. It would promote universal ratification of various international conventions on the

protection of the rights of migrant workers and their families, as stated by the declaration. The declaration has also suggested 10-point

plan of actions to achieve its goals

Some of the plan of actions included continuation of signing agreements between NHRIs at the bilateral and regional levels for facilitating

joint cross-border monitoring of human rights of migrant workers; to identify and report gross violence, discrimination, exploitation and

abuses committed against labour migrants; to periodically evaluate the migrant workers& information system instituted in the COOs and CODs

and to suggest measures for improvement. The post NHRC international conference concludes appeared first on The Himalayan Times.