LBB PHILIPPINES is pleased to share with you its second publication “PHILIPPINE JURISPRUDENCE ON OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT(1995-2015).” Following the successful completion and publication of our first compilation, “Selected Philippine Laws, Rules and Regulations on Overseas Employment”, we thought that it is essential to have a companion book in the form of an annotated topical index of cases on migrant worker related issues decided by the Philippine Supreme Court. We scoped almost 500 cases…

As we celebrate today the 25th Anniversary of the UN’s International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families, the LBB Phil, by way of expressing its support to and solidarity with all the migrant workers, launched its first Book, a compendium of Selected Philippine Laws, Rules and Regulations on Overseas Employment on 16 December 2015, in Quezon City, Philippines.  The book launch was…

This narrative presents a brief history of a network thriving to bring justice for migrant workers and members of their families. The Lawyers Beyond Borders (LBB) is a transnational network established by Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) in 2011 in response to the crucial need for more fair and adequate legal redress mechanisms for migrant workers and members of their families, and increased coordination among lawyers, legal aid practitioners, civil…

By Andrew Gardner (University of Puget Sound), Silvia Pessoa (Carnegie Mellon Qatar), Laura Harkness; December 2014 Read the research in these languages: English ; Arabic The 60-page report looks at migrants’ interactions with three primary institutions – the Department of Labour Relations, the Labour Court and the Ministry of Interior. The authors found that only a tiny proportion of migrants ever take labour-related cases to the justice system. Of those…

RecruitmentReform.org is a global online platform that strategically collates information on campaigns, policies and initiatives, events, case studies, news articles, laws, and international conventions related to recruitment. It seeks to continuously update visitors of the realities on migration recruitment and the initiatives that exist to address or in some cases exacerbate these concerns. It is evident today that recruitment practices plays an important role in the entire cycle of migration…

The ILO and Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center have conducted an ambitious research to better understand the barriers to access to justice faced by migrant domestic workers in Lebanon.

Open Society Foundations launched a study in Kathmandu with the Centre for Labour and Mobility entitled Migrant Workers’ Access to Justice at Home: Nepal. This is the second in a series of studies OSF commissioned on accountability in recruitment and access to legal remedies for migrant workers in their home countries. Read more here

Tamkeen produced an orientation video about Bangladeshi migrant workers in the garment sector and their rights according to Jordanian legislation.

 Breaking the Isolation provides an assessment of how migrant domestic workers are using technology to communicate, assert their rights, and collaborate with civil society organizations and governments to improve working conditions. Visit the Open Society Foundations website to learn more about the publication.

MFA has identified the ILC as a crucial forum that would set the tone for international migration policy and hence, a process the MFA members needed to engage in. In 2004, MFA participated in the ILC General Discussion on Migration. MFA also actively engaged the ILC in the lead up to the adoption of ILO Convention 189 on domestic work. MFA has also strongly campaigned for the ratification of the…

Migrant Workers’ Access to Justice at Home: Indonesia is the first comprehensive study of migrant workers’ access to justice in their country of origin. A collaborative effort by the Open Society International Migration Initiative, the Tifa Foundation, and the Migrant Worker Access to Justice Project, the report analyzes how migrant workers may access justice in Indonesia, and identifies the systemic barriers that prevent them from receiving redress for harms they…

UNWomen published a 2013 position paper, “Review of Laws, Policies and Regulations Governing Labour Migration in Asian and Arab States: A Gender and Rights Based Perspective”.  This publication is a reference manual of the country-specific legal protections for women migrant workers in origin (Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Lao PDR, Nepal, Philippines) and destination countries (Bahrain, Hong Kong SAR, UAE, Singapore and Thailand).  This reference manual is unique in that…

Written by Dr. Kathleen Hamill (member of Lawyers Beyond Borders) for KAFA (enough) Violence & Exploitation, this policy paper analyses the “sponsorship system” (kafala) in place in Lebanon, as this system has been identified as a root cause for the vulnerability of domestic workers to all manner of exploitation, abuse, and mistreatment. The study builds on previous research and policy proposals forwarded by KAFA and other groups, and addresses gaps…

The study deals primarily with MOUs entered into by the Government of India, showing that India’s recent record has been impressive in negotiating many MOUs, and social security agreements and one labor mobility partnership. Yet, it is difficult to find much evidence that the MOUs  and agreements on labor migration have  contributed to improved protection of Indian workers in the major destinations –  the Gulf countries  and Malaysia. However, this…

During the fist meeting of Lawyers Beyond Borders in Bangkok, the group drew up a series of frequently asked questions that could be used to guide migrant workers, civil society advocates, and NGOs when workers require basic legal advice. The first four questions are as follows: 1.  Are migrant workers protected by the labor law and labor regulations in your country? If so, then which provisions of the labor law…