MIGRANT FORUM IN ASIA (MFA) believes that migrants’ rights are human rights. Documented or undocumented, irrespective of race, gender, class, age and religious belief, migrant workers’ rights are guaranteed by the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Protection of Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families and other international conventions.
MFA is a regional network of non-government organizations (NGOs), associations and trade unions of migrant workers, and individual advocates in Asia who are committed to protect and promote the rights and welfare of migrant workers.
Programs and Campaigns
Featured Member
Hope Workers Center
A founding member of Migrant Forum in Asia, Hope Workers Center in Chugli, Taiwan works to educate & assist migrants on their rights & lobby the government for fair employment conditions.
Statements
18 December 2013
Today, on International Migrants Day, Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) commemorates the contributions made by millions of migrants all over the world and calls on the global community to respect the human rights and dignity of migrant workers and members of their families!
Currently, the number of international migrants reached an all-time record number of 232 million, a notable increase from 175 million in 2000. In a growing globalized climate, migrant workers are playing a bigger role in building national infrastructures and fueling the engines of economies in countries of destination, as well as back home. However, we must not neglect the inherent risks undertaken by citizens in their journeys for “greener pastures”. While today should be a celebratory occasion on the achievements of and for migrants, MFA also acknowledges the hardships faced by migrants in 2013.
2013 Year in Review for Migrants
In September 2013, the Malaysian government launched a special operation to deport an estimated 500,000 undocumented migrants, a majority coming from the South and Southeast Asian corners of the globe such as Indonesia, Burma, Bangladesh, Philippines and Nepal. Another immigration “crackdown” went into effect at the end of an amnesty period in November, resulting in the arrests, detention, and deportation of millions of Bangladeshis, Indians, Filipinos, Nepalis, Pakistanis and Indonesians from Saudi Arabia. MFA echoes the calls of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights of Migrants and claims that detention should never be an automatic response or solution to the “problem” of undocumented workers. MFA calls upon states to move away from the crime prevention framework and to respect and ensure the human rights of undocumented migrants as stipulated in the UN International Bill of Human Rights.
Taking Action to End Violence against Women
Migrant Forum in Asia’s Statement for International Women’s Day
8 March 2013
This day, International Women’s Day, is dedicated to Action to End Violence against Women, and Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) takes this occasion to highlight its continued stance in advocating social justice for migrant women, migrant workers and members of their families.
Milestones gained to protect and promote the rights of women migrant workers are reflected in international human rights and labor rights treaties such as the CEDAW, CMW and ILO C189, and in national laws that aim to ensure women’s rights. However, we are currently facing a moment where barriers to fully implementing these laws and accessing justice for rights violations endanger the empowerment and human dignity of women migrant workers.
Publications