Workers In Destination Countries Research Articles

Wage Theft of Nepali Migrant workers in Destination Countries: Grave Violation of Migrants’ Right

Wage theft is the grave violation of human rights and labour law of migrant workers which varies with background characteristics of migrants. Despite the international and national legal and policy provisions, the issue of wage theft has been increasing over time which compounds with the humanitarian crisis. The main objective of this article is to examine the drivers of wage theft of Nepali migrant workers at destination countries. Cross sectional design was used in this study in which 241 Nepali migrants were interviewed who were returned from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Malaysia and other countries. Of the total respondents majority were from age group 25-29 (26.14%), from Janajati caste (38.17%), married (78.42%) and from Koshi Province (33.20%). The duration of stay, documentation status, status and places of case filing of Nepali migrant workers has the strongest effect on implementation of salary agreement [24 months and above (OR=20.397, CI: 4.345-95.739), undocumented status is significantly lower i.e. (OR=0.278, CI: 0.147-0.526), and the absence of case file (OR=7.362, CI: 3.437-15.768)]. Similarly, the unpaid status of Nepali migrant workers is also significantly associated with duration of stay and caste/ethnicity [6-12 months (OR=16.6333, CI: 2.548-108.589) and Dalit (OR=0.763, CI: 0.202-2.885),]. The level of education and knowledge on minimum salary is also significantly associated with coercive working situations [lower secondary (OR=0.047, CI: 0.012-0.178) and having no knowledge (OR=0.993, CI: 0.509-1.938)]. The study reveal the fact that the prevalence of wage theft among Nepali migrant workers is high among migrant living in longer period of time, migrants with knowledge on minimum salary, illiterate migrants, undocumented, migrants without agreement paper, and low paid migrants. For improving both working situation and full with timely payment, the migrant sending and receiving countries need to adopt proper legal and policy provisions with their effective execution.

Do Bilateral Relations Affect the Treatment of Migrant Workers? A Study of Nepal

Unfair treatment of migrant workers is a major problem in the migrant governance system. Migrants often endure harsh working conditions, poor wages, and in some cases, untimely deaths. This brings the question, "What can countries do about the poor treatment of their people in destination countries?” This research analyzes the role of bilateral relationships between countries and concludes whether stronger bilateral relations affect the condition of migrant workers in destination countries. The hypothesis is that bilateral relations do not matter but the destination country's domestic human rights condition is a bigger determinant of migrant treatment. The case studies of Malaysia and Japan in relation to Nepal through a series of quantitative and qualitative analysis however disproves the hypothesis and shows that bilateral relations do matter in determining the treatment of migrant workers.

‘The Pandemic Played a Cruel Joke on Us’: The vulnerabilities of Kyrgyz women migrant workers in Russia during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic affected various aspects of social and economic life across the world, with women and minorities especially bearing the brunt of its negative consequences. For Kyrgyz migrant women in Russia, this was further compounded by particularities of the low-wage or informal sectors where they worked. This article contributes to the scholarship on the impact of COVID-19 on migrant workers in destination countries. Drawing on data from 298 Kyrgyz women working in Russia, it explores women’s experiences with income, labour protections, freedom of movement, and violence in the workplace during the pandemic. It demonstrates that these experiences are caused by the intersection of gender and migration status. The article concludes with recommendations directed at the Kyrgyz government and civil society to improve the situation of Kyrgyz migrant women working in Russia.

Legal Literacy Strengthening for Indonesian Migrant Workers: Self-Help Ability to Survive the Life

Indonesian migrant workers are foreign exchange heroes, and their presence can get better welfare for their families and surrounding communities. However, the state's contribution to Indonesian migrant workers is still not maximized. It can be seen in several cases faced by Indonesian migrant workers in destination countries. One of the main factors causing various legal problems faced by migrant workers is the lack of knowledge and skills in the practical field of law related to their work and work environment. This paper will discuss legal literacy as the determinant factor to be mastered by Indonesian migrant workers to survive working in other countries. This socio-legal research uses a qualitative approach; the data used are primary that have been collected for the last three years (2020-2022, and secondary data. Primary data is based on survey results (2020) and FGDs with experts conducted in the previous three years. The secondary data comes from journals, books, reports, and other related articles. This paper concludes that the distance education and learning platform with continuing education (non-degree) service format is the most suitable and efficient design for providing access to education for migrant workers to survive their life in overseas.

Advocating Women Migrant Worker’s Rights through Social Services Organizations in Malaysia

Dependency on migrant workers is a growing situation in Malaysia particularly the ones from Indonesia, the world's largest non-skilled and semi-skilled worker importer. Despite their decision to migrate in order to obtain better livelihood, there are various risks faced by Indonesian migrant workers, including exploitation. To this day, the problems faced by women migrant workers are mostly dominated by documents forgery, fraud, overstay, unpaid wages, sexual abuse, involvement in criminal cases, and other rights violations that are not in accordance with the proper work contracts. Indonesian women migrant workers are often segmented to work in production sectors, such as manufacturing, service sectors such as domestic work and the cleaning industry. This study used qualitative research with in-depth interviews and participant observation to access, collect the preliminary data from the government officials, NGOs and unions related to migrant worker’s social welfare. The finding indicated that there were several migrant workers' rights that have been agreed upon to provide significant protection for migrant workers in destination countries whether they are related to employment or social security. However, with the different legal ratifications of specific countries, the destination country has the freedom to restrict any access to certain migrant workers' freedoms. In other words, protection is subject to the laws and constitutions of the country which have been formulated locally. However, in the case of migrant workers’ rights violations, most parties work together to resolve the issues. This includes establishing non-governmental organizations to curb issues of social inequality that help all parties involved.

The implications of migration policies on migrant worker mixed families: The case of Filipinos in Israel

The ever-growing worldwide phenomenon of transnational labor migration has resulted in the increase of families formed by migrant workers in destination countries. While scholarly attention has mainly focused on the transnational families of migrant workers, the formation of mixed families involving migrants in host countries has rarely been studied. Based on a qualitative and quantitative study of the Filipino migrant worker community in Israel, this paper explores the dynamics of mixed families within this community. The family formation of Filipino migrants in Israel reveals two main categories of mixed families: one consisting of a migrant worker and a local citizen, and the other consisting of two migrant workers of different origins. I proposed the terminologies “suspect mixed families” and “fragile mixed families” to emphasize the crucial impact of migration policies on the dynamics of these families.

Healthcare for migrant workers in destination countries: a comparative qualitative study of China and Malaysia

ObjectivesThis paper explores policies addressing migrant worker’s health and barriers to healthcare access in two middle-income, destination countries in Asia with cross-border migration to Yunnan province, China and international migration...

Environment Condition of Indonesian Migrant Worker in The Destination Countries and The Amount of Remittance Delivery to Origin Region

The research area about two decades ago is an area that most of the poor people were working in agriculture, the cultivation of dry land, with an area of arable land holdings averaging less than 0.2 ha. Their remittances, in just one decade the area has been turned into an area at the center of economic activity diverse community, neighborhood conditions are arranged, and luxurious impression, the growing flow of transport and communications make the economic wheels spin it appears in the bustle of economic activity community. Hence the importance of exposing working conditions migrant workers in destination countries that affect the delivery of remittances from destination countries to their home area. Therefore, the aim of this research is to discover and reveal the influences of the determinants behind lartar working environment TKI environmental conditions in destination countries against the remittance delivery to their home area. The research approach used is a quantitative approach. It also uses survey methods, data collection by interview. The research location is Tulungagung. The results showed that determinant background working environment in the destination country of TKI provides great influences on the remittance delivery to their home area. The results of the study include 1) Region destination country labor migrants working in the Far East of remittances sent to the place of origin are greater than the migrant workers working in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, 2) The status of migrant workers who of the legality of remittances sent to the region origin is greater than the illegal status, 3) Long working migrant workers in the destination country the larger the number of years, remittances sent to their home area larger than workers who work shorter.

Intensified Exploitation and Mental Stress as Impacts of Changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in Alberta, Canada

Migrant precariousness is a growing global trend that calls for effective policies to attend to the rights and well-being of migrant workers in destination countries. The experience of migrant workers is highly structured by the policies and systems in destination countries. In Canada, policy changes have affected the experiences of migrants. We sought to examine the impact of changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in 2015 on migrants in Alberta, one of Canada’s western provinces. Using a transnational theoretical perspective embedded within a critical social paradigm and a focus group method, we gathered data from thirty-five temporary foreign workers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed with the aid of NVivo 10 qualitative data analysis software. The findings of our study reveal that the changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in Canada in 2015 restricted the rights of these workers, intensified exploitation, and led to mental health strain for temporary foreign workers and their families. To attend to the marginal status of migrant workers, there is a need to broaden pathways to permanent resident status for low-wage temporary foreign workers in destination countries.

Equal Health Opportunity for Unskilled Migrant Workers within Limited National Healthcare Scheme in Thailand's Context


 
 
 Health is an important indicator of the population in every country, including migrant workers in destination countries, according to the provisions of international laws that govern health services without regard to the legal status of migrants. This article reviewed information from academic papers, research, and interviews with relevant personnel. The objective of this article is to point out information on health systems for migrants from the perspectives of both outsiders and insiders, which include research and data from interviews with the relevant health personnel in Thailand. The study indicated that academic papers published by foreigners see the Thai healthcare system as having a variety of problems in the exploitation of migrant workers, while Thai health personnel provides services without discrimination in all groups. In reality, Thai laws and national healthcare scheme require certain specific limited conditions for migrant workers for reasons of security, disease prevention, and control, including Thailand’s struggle to deal with an influx of both legal and illegal workers into the country. Therefore, it is not easy to manage the healthcare scheme in order to increase coverage and equality for migrants and Thais alike. This study attempts to understand the development direction of the Thai health system as it moves into the future to provide coverage for all involved parties based on social capital and feasibility of action under the health policies of the developing country destination of Thailand.
 
 

Health worker migration from South Africa: causes, consequences and policy responses.

BackgroundThis paper arises from a four-country study that sought to better understand the drivers of skilled health worker migration, its consequences, and the strategies countries have employed to mitigate negative impacts. The four countries—Jamaica, India, the Philippines, and South Africa—have historically been “sources” of skilled health workers (SHWs) migrating to other countries. This paper presents the findings from South Africa.MethodsThe study began with a scoping review of the literature on health worker migration from South Africa, followed by empirical data collected from skilled health workers and stakeholders. Surveys were conducted with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists. Interviews were conducted with key informants representing educators, regulators, national and local governments, private and public sector health facilities, recruitment agencies, and professional associations and councils. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression models. Interview data were analyzed thematically.ResultsThere has been an overall decrease in out-migration of skilled health workers from South Africa since the early 2000s largely attributed to a reduced need for foreign-trained skilled health workers in destination countries, limitations on recruitment, and tighter migration rules. Low levels of worker satisfaction persist, although the Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD) policy (2007), which increased wages for health workers, has been described as critical in retaining South African nurses. Return migration was reportedly a common occurrence. The consequences attributed to SHW migration are mixed, but shortages appear to have declined. Most promising initiatives are those designed to reinforce the South African health system and undertaken within South Africa itself.ConclusionsIn the near past, South Africa’s health worker shortages as a result of emigration were viewed as significant and harmful. Currently, domestic policies to improve health care and the health workforce including innovations such as new skilled health worker cadres and OSD policies appear to have served to decrease SHW shortages to some extent. Decreased global demand for health workers and indications that South African SHWs primarily use migratory routes for professional development suggest that health worker shortages as a result of permanent migration no longer pertains to South Africa.

DYNAMICS OF EDUCATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN EMIGRATION FROM ESTONIA TO THE OLD EU MEMBER STATES

1. Introduction East-West migration became a mass phenomenon in Europe in the period from around the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 (Mansoor and Quillin 2007, Massey and Taylor 2004, Okolski 2004). Emigration from Central and Eastern European countries accelerated after the enlargement of the European Union (EU) in 2004 and 2007 (Kahanec et al. 2010). Wealth differentials between Eastern and Western Europe, and improved access to the labour markets of the old member states (EU-15 (1)) for citizens of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries are considered to be the most important catalysts for migration within Europe, bringing about losses of skilled workers in countries of origin, and gains in skilled workers in destination countries (Castles and Miller 2009, Bonifazi et al. 2008, Favell 2008). There are different conceptualizations of what constitutes the group of skilled migrants, but the most common and accessible approach to studying this is to focus on the university-educated people (Gibson and McKenzie 2011a, 2011b). Most of the research on the East-West migration in Europe has focused on the effects of emigration per se on the origin and destination countries and their labour markets. Comparatively little is known about the composition of migrant populations, especially how it has changed over the time. The aim of the study reported herein was to investigate differences in the composition of Estonian emigrants, with respect to their level of education, before and after EU enlargement. Barriers to emigration are usually greater for the less educated; EU enlargement reduced such barriers significantly. This makes the topic of differences in the composition of migrants with respect to their level of education in the context of East-West migration in Europe especially relevant. The Estonian case is interesting for studying the relationship between emigration and education for two reasons. First, Estonia has experienced significant emigration since 1991, as have most other countries of Eastern Europe (Tammaru et al. 2010). Second, Estonia has performed better in economic terms than many other new member states. (2) This may offer more career opportunities for the highly educated (Hazans and Philips 2010). In order to shed new light on differences with respect to education in East-West migration, our study on Estonian emigration sought to answer two main research questions: * Are people with a university degree over-represented among emigrants from Estonia? * Are people with lower levels of education increasing their share among emigrants from Estonia after it joined the EU in 2004? Data for the study was drawn from the Estonian Emigration Database compiled by Statistics Estonia. One of the problems in studies of East-West migration in Europe relates to the poor quality of the available data, especially the fact that people who migrate abroad do not register their departure in the country of origin (de Beer et al. 2010). Such under-registration of emigration is also a problem in Estonia (Anniste 2009). However, Estonian data has some characteristics that increase its reliability, despite the fact that not all migrants register their departure in Estonia when leaving the country. Most important in this regard is the fact that Estonia and Finland exchange information stored in their population registers on a regular basis, because Finland is the main destination country of Estonian migrants. Data exchange with Finland has thus significantly improved the quality of emigration statistics in Estonia; people who settle for longer than one year in Finland are accorded emigrant status in the Population Register of Estonia (Anniste 2009). The Estonian data thus allows us to shed new light on the nature of the changes that have occurred in East-West migration in Europe since 2000. 2. Review of the literature on education and East-West migration in Europe Wealth differences, the removal of restrictions on free movement of labour, reduced costs for transport and communications (including the expansion of budget airlines), the expansion of formal and informal labour recruitment networks, and initiatives by governments and employers to recruit labour into specific economic sectors have resulted in an increase and diversification of international migrant flows in Europe (Krings 2009, Salt 2008, Massey and Taylor 2004, Okolski 2004). …

Migration and "Low-Skilled" Workers in Destination Countries

Summary Points The last few decades have seen substantial increases in the migration of migrant workers, raising concerns about the health implications of these movements. In destination countries, migrant workers often fill undesirable, low-skill positions characterized by flexibility, insecurity, precarious employment, and long working hours with low pay. Undocumented or “illegal” migrants are especially vulnerable to exploitation since they fear job loss, incarceration, and deportation. Urgent health issues to be addressed among migrant workers include occupational safety, injury prevention, work-related diseases, barriers to accessing health services, and the associated health risks for their families and communities, in addition to discrimination and exploitation. Governments, unions, and international organizations should collaborate to implement fair labour standards for both legal and illegal labourers that are on par with citizen workers, standardise labour migration policies, and provide legal support for undocumented labourers to help eradicate human trafficking and other forms of extreme labour exploitation.

REALITAS KEKERASAN PEKERJA PEREMPUAN DAN KONSEKUENSI PERLINDUNGAN HUKUM

This study deals with Indonesian female workers migration especially on the case of workers security and workers violence. The study is carried out at Cilacap Regency with the research samples in Donan, Jojog and Kuta Waru Vilage in the area of Central Cilacap sub-district. This study is design to explore the phenomena of international female workers migration regarding the security and violence issues in the whole of migration process. The value of this research is desired to be raw material, which is, can be a positive requirement in formulating the role of international migration policy. The facts shows that the program of international labor sending since 1980s was lacked of security that can be protecting migrant workers, especially female migrants. This condition causes that Indonesian (female) migrants tend to be marginal workers in destination countries.