ഇന്റര്‍നാഷണല്‍ മൈഗ്രേഷന്‍

Major Concerns for Global Forum on Migration
and Development (GFMD): An Indian
Perspective
In the context of the third Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) to be
held in Athens on November 2-6, 2009, trade unions, networks, migrants’ associations,
advocates and civil society groups held a national meeting1 in Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala on October 23-24, 2009 to discuss and strategise on the migration and
development discourse at the country level.
We emphasize that migration, especially the migration of labour within and beyond
nation state boundaries, has complex historical, social, cultural, and economic
implications, and cannot be reduced to being an aspect of trade policy, and a mere
means for enhancing national and corporate wealth
Similarly, development includes economic and human development, and has many
characteristics that exceed increased economic performance and GDP growth to
encompass the enhancement of people’s choices and enjoyment of good health,
education, political freedoms, and a decent standard of living.
We are concerned about the growing international discourse on ‘migration
management’ and the retreat of the state, which carries with it a danger of increased
restrictions on the mobility of people, in particular of low- and unskilled workers.
While recognising that all countries have the responsibility for employment creation
and ensuring employability of people, we emphasise that such policies should not
restrict or prevent migration.
Therefore, in the context of the third Global Forum on Migration and Development
(GFMD), to be held in Athens on November 2-6, 2009, trade unions, networks, migrants’
associations, advocates and civil society groups urge Government of India and other
Governments who are participating in the GFMD to consider the following vital points of
relationship between migration and development.
1. Although migration contributes to the economic development of receiving and
sending countries and to the betterment of the livelihood of migrants and their
families, we reject the attempt by nation states to promote migration as an
instrument for development, as such an approach risks the abdication of states’
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Thiruvananthapuram
Consultation
on
GFMD,october23-­‐24,൦൦൯
൧. ദി നറേനാല്‍ Consultation
on
GFMD,
Trivandrum,
October
23-­‐24,
2009
was
jointly
organized
by
Centre
and
Communication
(CEC)
and
Migrant
Forum
in
Asia
(MFA)
India
partners.
for
Education
responsibilities towards holistic development policies, as well as towards the
comprehensive protection of migrants' rights. Furthermore, governments must not
use the Global Forum on Migration and Development for promoting such an agenda.
Governments must put in place policies to protect migrant workers
2. Migration should be approached from a rights perspective - which protects the
inalienable human rights of all and fundamental rights at work. In addition to
observing the basic human rights conventions (UDHR, ICCPR, ICESR, CRC, CEDAW,
CAT, and ICERD) such an approach should include ratification and implementation
of instruments designed to protect migrants’ rights: the 1990 International
Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of
their Families (ICMW) and ILO Conventions 97 and 143 on the rights of migrant
workers. Governments must ensure that migrants have full rights at workplace—to
equal pay for equal work, decent working conditions and collective organization.
They should also act quickly to stamp out discrimination on the basis of gender,
religion, ethnicity, nationality, region or age. This framework must also guide India
and other countries in multilateral and bilateral negotiations on migration.
3. Government of India at GFMD should negotiate wider avenues for legal cross-border
migration and to address human trafficking in keeping with international
instruments.
4. Government of India at GFMD should negotiate and facilitate inter-governmental
systems for the mobility of low- and unskilled workers for whom there exists great
demand, to avoid the increase in irregular and dangerous routes of migration.
5. The Government of India at GFMD must play a facilitating role in designing and
implementing international instruments ensuring basic wage guarantees, health and
safety standards, and provisions for multiple-entry visas, allowing periodic family
visits. Governments must engage in capacity building of migrant workers in sending
countries through legal assistance and counseling services, and recruiting agents
must be regulated.
6. The Government of India at GFMD must ensure that all negotiated positions and
instruments are gender- sensitive and involve specific instruments for ensuring the
rights of women workers. As an indication, all governments, at GFMD must agree on
the adoption of the ILO Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers.
7. The Government of India at GFMD needs to discuss and facilitate employer
portability in the destination countries, offer immigrants - and their families
wherever applicable - the right to apply for extending their stay, outline ways to
eventual permanent residence and make provisions that facilitate return trips
during the visa period. Further, in destination countries, governments should
provide legal assistance to migrant workers.
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Thiruvananthapuram
Consultation
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October
23-­‐24,
2009
8. The Government of India at GFMD must negotiate and facilitate the creation of
systems for comprehensive, integrated and balanced responses to the issue of
migration-related detention, based on international and regional human rights
standards, in order to avoid detention.
9. The Government of India at GFMD must negotiate and facilitate the creation of
systems for the social security of migrant workers at destination countries and for
the portability of accumulated social security benefits upon their return.
10. The Government of India at GFMD must negotiate guarantees for children of
migrants to have equal access to education and health in order to improve their
prospects for full participation in the host societies.
11. The Government of India at GFMD must negotiate and ensure annual budgetary
support for the welfare of migrants and returnee migrants and their families.
12. The Government of India at GFMD must negotiate and ensure systems for
preventing exorbitant commission and regulate companies which engage in money
transfer, and facilitate easy, safe and affordable transfer of remittances.
13. Further, we demand that Government of India must ensure
- that such interventions involve unions and employers, and civil
society organisations together with the destination and source
country governments
- that such interventions and steps taken must be gender sensitive
- that these rights are implemented for all workers on its own soil
- that it ratifies UN and ILO Conventions on the rights of migrant
workers and their families
- that it enacts a national legislation for the welfare of migrant
workers
- that it takes steps towards enhancement of employability of
migrant workers and their upgradation of skills through training
institutes supported by the government
- that transparency is maintained through information
dissemination by way of dissemination centres, websites,
publications
- that it integrates migration as a topic in the educational
curriculum
- that it builds a South Asian perspective on migration including
Visa free regime and work permit among SAARC Countries
- that it invests in capacity building of embassies around protection
of rights of Indian citizens abroad.
We reiterate the need for the government of India to adopt and implement a policy for
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Thiruvananthapuram
Consultation
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GFMD,
October
23-­‐24,
2009
international migration. Only by following these steps could the GFMD make a positive
and meaningful impact on the real nexus between migration and development.
1. Chris(an
Wolf,
Hyderabad
2. Cindy
Jiang,
Migrant
Forum
in
Asia
(MFA)
3. Duarte
Barreto,
Fedina,
Bangalore
4. Eugene
P.
Fr.,
Migrant
Forum
in
India
(MFI),
Thiruvananthapuram
5. John
C.
P.,
Hind
Mazdoor
Sabha
(HMS),
Thiruvananthapuram
6. John
J.,
Centre
for
Educa(on
and
Communica(on
(CEC),
New
Delhi
7. John
P.
T.,
Diaspora
Research
Centre,
Cochin
8. Josephine
Amala
Valarmathi
M.
Sr.,
Tamil
Nadu
Domes(c
Workers’
Movement
(TNDWM),
Chennai
9. Kannan
M.
K.
,
Hind
Mazdoor
Sabha
(HMS),
Thiruvananthapuram
10. Krishan
Chand,
Central
for
Research
in
Rural
Industrial
Development
(CRRID),
Chandigarh
11. Leela
Gula(,
Centre
for
Development
Studies
(CDS),
Thiruvananthapuram
12. Neha
Wadhawan,
Jawaharlal
Nehru
University
(JNU),
New
Delhi
13. Pallavi
Mansingh,
Centre
for
Educa(on
and
Communica(on
(CEC),
New
Delhi
14. Rafeeq
Azeez,
Pravasilokam,
Thiruvananthapuram
15. Ranjith
P
M,
Society
for
Labour
and
Development
(SLD),
Calicut
16. Richa
Bharadwaj,
YUVA,
Mumbai
17. Saidalikuay
P.,
Kerala
Pravasi
Sangham,
Palakkad
18. Sally
Michael
Sr.,
Migrant
Forum
in
India
(MFI),
Thiruvananthapuram
19. Samy
N.
P.,
na(onal
Centre
for
Labour
(NCL),
Bangalore
20. Shajin
Raj,
People
Democra(c
Movement,
Kanyakumari
21. Sony
Kunjappan,
Catholic
Bishops
Conference
of
India
(CBCI),
New
Delhi
22. Subramanian
G,
Manitham,
Chennai
23. Sugunan
G.,
Hind
Mazdoor
Sabha,
Thiruvananthapuram
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Thiruvananthapuram
Consultation
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GFMD,
October
23-­‐24,
2009
24. Sunanda,
Pravasee
Malayalee
Welfare
Associa(on,
Thiruvananthapuram
25. Suresh
Pillai,
Diaspora
Research
Centre,
Cochin
26. Tiwari
R.
S.,
Migrant
Forum
in
Asia
(MFA),
New
Delhi
27. Udayabhanu
J.,
All
India
Trade
Union
Congress
(AITUC),
Thiruvananthapuram
28. Vidhu
Vincent,
Society
for
Labour
and
Development
(SLD),
Calicut
29. Vijaya
Kumar
K.,
Pravasi
Sangham,
Thiruvananthapuram
30. Yamini
Atmavilas,
Administra(ve
Staff
College
of
India,
Hyderabad
31. Yesudas,
Migrant
Forum
in
India
(MFI),
Thiruvananthapuram
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Thiruvananthapuram
Consultation
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GFMD,
October
23-­‐24,
2009

സമഗ്രമായ കുടിയേറ്റ നിയമം

വിദേശ മലയാളികക്കായി സമഗ്രമായ കുടിയേറ്റ നിയമം കൊണ്ടുവരണം

കേന്ദ്ര പ്രവാസികാര്യവകുപ്പിന്റെ നിര്‍ദ്ദേശ പ്രകാരം വിദേശത്ത് പോകുന്നവര്‍ക്കായി സമഗ്രമയായ കുടിയേറ്റ നിയമം എങനെ നടപ്പിലാക്കാം എന്നതിനെ കുറിച്ച് തിരുവനന്ദാപുരം സെന്റര്‍ ഫോര്‍ ഡവലപ്പ്മെന്റ് സ്റ്റഡിസിന്റെ നേത്രുത്വത്തില്‍ 14/08/08/ സഘടിപ്പിക്കുകയുണ്ടായി .നിലവിലുള്ള മൈഗ്രേഷന്‍ നിയമനം യാതൊരുവിധ സം രക്ഷണവും പ്രവസികള്‍ ക്ക് ഉറപ്പ് നല്‍ കുന്നില്ല എന്നതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ കേരള പ്രവാസി സം ഘത്തിന്റെ നിരന്ദരമായ ആവശ്യം കേന്ദ്ര സര്‍ ക്കാരിന്റെ പരിഗണക്കുവന്നു എന്നുള്ളതു സ്വാഗതാര്‍ ഹമാണ്. 2007 ഡിസം ബര്‍ 3- തീയ്യതി പാര്‍ ലമെന്റ് മാര്‍ച്ച് ഇത്തരത്തിലൊരു നിയമം കൊണ്ടുവരേണ്ടുന്ന അടിയന്തിരകടമയേകുറിച്ച് കേന്ദ്ര സര്‍ക്കാനെയും പ്രവാസികര്യ വകുപ്പ് മന്ദ്രി മലയാളികൂടിയായ ശ്രീ വയലാര്‍ രവിയെയും ധരിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിനും അവയുടെ പ്രാധാന്യത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് ബോധ്യപെടുത്തുന്നതിനും ഉതകുന്നതായിരുന്നു

പ്രവാസികള്ക്ക് നമ്മുടെ നാട്ടില്‍ നീതി ലഭിക്കുന്നു എന്നു വിശ്വസിക്കുന്നൊ?

പ്രവാസികള്ക്ക് നമ്മുടെ നാട്ടില്‍ നീതി ലഭിക്കുന്നു എന്നു വിശ്വസിക്കുന്നൊ? എന്തൊക്കെയാണു നമുക്കു നേടുവനുള്ളത്?