VALLETTA, 9 October 2015
During a three-day workshop in Malta that concluded today, participants discussed how to enhance collaboration among participating States and Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation in developing gender-sensitive labour migration policies in countries of origin and destination in the Mediterranean region.
The workshop was organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities in co-operation with the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and with the financial support of Germany and the Principality of Monaco.
“Women migrant workers are often confronted with gender-specific disadvantages in the migration process and in their employment, due to a lack of policies addressing their specific needs. They often work in sectors not fully covered by labour legislation, such as domestic and care work. This makes them particularly vulnerable to discrimination and exploitation and, in the worst cases, they may fall victim to human trafficking and forced labour”, said Halil Yurdakul Yigitgüden, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.
Over 40 experts and practitioners from countries of the north and south rim of the Mediterranean as well as representatives of international organizations discussed foreign labour admission policies, gender-sensitive indicators, introduction of gender aspects into bilateral labour agreements, protection of migrant domestic workers, and prevention of labour exploitation. OSCE guides and manuals on effective labour migration management were used as reference material.
“Labour migration is a structural factor in our globalized economies and a powerful leverage of economic development, like the circulation of goods and financial assets. A humanitarian approach to dealing with conflict-induced movement of persons must be complemented by effective labour migration strategies in order to provide adequate responses to the labour market needs through the efficient circulation of skills, brains and capacities”, added Helena Dalli, Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties of Malta.
More effective labour migration policies and greater attention to their gender aspects allow maximising the benefits of legal migration for countries of origin, countries of destination and the migrant workers themselves – was one of the main conclusions of the event in Malta.