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World Bank Should Promote Treaty to Protect Migrants(New York, September 26, 2003) - The World Bank should help end the
exploitation and abuse of migrant workers in the Persian Gulf and beyond,
Human Rights Watch said as the international financial institution
prepares to hold its annual meetings in Dubai.In a letter to President Jim Wolfensohn, Human Rights Watch called on the
World Bank to champion an international convention for the protection of
migrants that recently entered into force.The Migrant Workers Convention guarantees migrants' human rights and
promises state protection against abuse by employers, agents and public
officials. The convention has been ratified by 22 states, but has yet to
be adopted by many wealthy countries that depend heavily on migrant labor."The World Bank knows that migrants are key to economic development, but
they're not paying attention to the dark side of that issue," said Rory
Mungoven, global advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. "The bank
should be leading the way in international efforts to protect them from
exploitation and abuse."Nearly ten million foreigners, most of them unskilled or semi-skilled
migrants, work in Gulf states. Migrants comprise some 90 percent of the
1.7 million workers in the United Arab Emirates, where the World Bank will
hold its meetings.Remittances sent home by migrant workers reached $80 billion in 2002, up
from $60 billion in 1998. These payments have become more important
sources of finance for developing countries than private lending or
official development assistance. In 2001, these payments were worth $10
billion to India, $6 billion to the Philippines and more than $2 billion
to Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco.Despite their value to both their home countries and the societies in
which they work, many migrant workers suffer from discrimination,
exploitation and abuse. Migrants, including large numbers of women
employed as domestic servants, face intimidation and violence, including
sexual assault, at the hands of employers, supervisors, sponsors and
police and security forces. Children are especially vulnerable to labor
and sexual exploitation and denial of basic rights.
"Thousands of children are trafficked to the United Arab Emirates for use
as beggars and camel jockeys," Mungoven said. "The World Bank can't claim
to fight child labor in poor countries and then turn a blind eye when it
crosses borders."Sponsors and employers often confiscate migrants' documents, including
passports and residence permits, restricting their freedom of movement and
ability to report mistreatment. Migrants in the Gulf states typically
can't obtain an exit visa without the approval of their sponsor or
employer, sometimes placing them in situations that amount to forced
labor.Migrants in undocumented or "irregular" situations are often indebted to
traffickers, and have little choice but to work under highly exploitative
conditions. Documented migrants can easily slip into illegal status when
unscrupulous employers and sponsors deliberately let residence permits
expire, or literally sell workers to other employers, thereby invalidating
their work permits.Human Rights Watch called on the World Bank to encourage states that send
or receive migrants to adopt and implement the protections contained in
the Migrant Workers Convention. The bank could help governments regulate
migration and employment agencies to combat trafficking, exploitation and
abuse. -keralamonitor.comIraq: U.S. Military Responses Imperil Journalists Nepal/Bhutan: Refugee Women Face Abuses
UNHCR, Governments Must Take Action at ExCom Nigeria: Amina Lawal’s death sentence quashed at last but questions remain about discriminatory legislation The rights of Iraqi people must not be sidelined on the altar of political agendas. Afghanistan: Bush Should End Support to Warlords India: Limited and dangerous proposals to reform the criminal justice
