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Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) convened a meeting from 22–23 October 2018 between the MFA network and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Migrant Recruitment Advisor team members from Indonesia, Philippines, Nepal, and Malaysia. The program was co-organized with the Malaysian Bar Council and Our Journey, Malaysia.

The meeting aimed to have an in-depth interface between the MRA and MFA team on ways forward after the launch of the MRA website and Hamsa online complaints mechanism. This included relationship-building and trust-building to cooperate on both the review mechanism and complaint mechanism; national-level plans of action which go beyond promotion of the MRA website and documentation of cases; and furthering advocacy on recruitment between trade unions and non-government organizations (NGOs).

The Migrant Recruitment Advisor (MRA)has been finalized after almost a year of consultations, deliberations, and other preparatory processes with migrant workers, migrants’ groups, trade unions, academia, non-government organizations, and other stakeholders that took place in Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, and Philippines. This included the development of the survey questionnaire, the interface of the website, the content of the website, its scope and limitations, its terms and conditions, as well as its risks and possible outcomes. This was done in partnership with International Labor Organization (ILO) and Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA).

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has partnered with Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) and their existing case documentation system, Migrants Rights Violation Reporting System (MRVRS) / Hamsa, as the complaints mechanism component of MRA. The MRVRS/Hamsa, for the longest time,acts as a tool for case documentation among the MFA network who need a more systematic and efficient way to document and manage cases by utilizing technology. Through this partnership, MRVRS/Hamsa operates through a referral mechanism within the MFA network with dedicated staff to regularly monitor the concerns of those migrant workers who have utilized the MRA, and want to pursue their concerns and for it to be addressed. Once a complaint has been made, the coordinator in the MFA Secretariat notifies the national coordinators in the concerned country/ies, who will then notify the appropriate members and/or partners to assist in the case, given that each country has a different referral mechanism.

As a result of the regional partners meeting, national programs of action were developed in line with enhancing ITUC afiliates and MFA members collaboration in disseminating information about MRA and the Hamsa Complaints mechanism, collaboration in case management, and advocacy on recruitment reform.

For more information the Migrant Recruitment Advisor see:

https://www.recruitmentadvisor.org/

To access the Hamsa complaints mechanism see:

http://mfasia.org/online-complaints-form/

For more information please contact William Gois of the MFA Secretariat at: mfa@mfasia.org

Please find below some photos fro the program