Women in the Gulf await a Standard Contract
View(s):SAARC governments will be coming together in Kathmandu on May 3-4 to shape a new Plan of Action on migration. After decades of ignoring the plight of South Asian migrant workers abroad, SAARC members recently pledged to cooperate on the matter, according to a statement issued by labour migration advocacy group Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) It said these discussions are a crucial opportunity to address the problems female South Asian migrant workers face by promulgating a region-wide standard contract and minimum wage. The draft Plan of Action prepared by Nepal has just such a suggestion; it is now up to SAARC governments to stand up for their female citizens abroad, who currently face difficult and dangerous working conditions.
Female migrant workers make tremendous contributions to their countries of origin through remittances, primarily from the Gulf. Women constitute approximately 15 per cent of all migrant workers from South Asia: nearly 50 per cent of Sri Lankan migrant workers are female, as are 15 per cent of Nepali, 13 per cent of Bangladeshi, and 4-10 per cent of Indian migrant workers, official figures show. Studies have shown that female migrant workers send home a larger proportion of their incomes than men, and also that they invest it into education, health care, housing in food, in contrast to men, who are more likely to invest in one-time purchases. MFA said female migrant workers to the Gulf also face higher risks of trafficking, forced confinement and physical and sexual abuse.
South Asian governments largely leave these migrant workers to fend for themselves: there is no oversight of the contracts they sign, and no guarantee that the contracts will be respected. “As a result, female migrant workers are commonly paid less than they were promised, made to work longer hours, and forced to perform extra tasks. Their value not respected at home, they have taken empowerment into their own hands and gone abroad to be breadwinners for their families; but their governments do not recognize them either- none have signed ILO Convention 189 on the rights of domestic workers- and they find themselves abandoned,” it said. “They are dependent on their employers for food, housing, salary, and most importantly, their legal stay in the country of destination, which makes them vulnerable and in no position to resist abuse.
In addition to difficult working conditions and low pay, many female domestic workers are verbally, physically and sexually abused. Their only recourse in this situation is to attempt to escape, but this brings further problems. They not only have no legal recourse for breach of contract or abuse but also are criminalized for being undocumented. They then have no option but to seek irregular work, which leaves them extremely vulnerable to trafficking and further abuse,” the MFA noted. The May 3-4 discussions are an opportunity for SAARC governments to do so by resolving to institute a region-wide standard contract and improve rapid response and redress mechanisms. Both of these measures are laid out in the current draft Plan of Action: if adopted by SAARC governments, these measures would have a profound and immediate impact on the safety and well-being of female migrant workers in the Gulf.