AICHR launches regional study on human rights and migration management
JAKARTA, 3 September 2023 – The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) launched the study on human rights and migration management for the most vulnerable groups in ASEAN on 25 August at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The study examined the existing migration management system in ASEAN and its member states through the lens of human rights and gender, particularly on the state practice – policies, processes to regulation, and enforcement measures – in managing the different forms of migration; existing cooperation mechanisms; and best practices of effective migration management of the most vulnerable migrants in migration.
The study also identified nine challenges in the region’s labour migration management, one of which is the lack of uniformity in ASEAN Member States’ labour migration policies which has prevented more synchronised and coordinated actions among member states in addressing the issue of migrant workers.
In her opening remarks, the Chair and Representative of Indonesia to AICHR, Ms Wahyuningrum reiterated AICHR’s commitment to uphold the rights of migrant workers in ASEAN. She also said that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the context, trend, and pattern of migration in the region and, therefore, ASEAN and its member states should adjust its policies, migration management, and programs for better protection of the rights of migrant workers in the region.
ASEAN Sectoral Bodies, such as the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children and the ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, civil society organisations, academies, and international organisations provided responses to the study. The AICHR study on human rights and migration management for the most vulnerable groups in ASEAN is now accessible to public at www.aichr.org
The launch was jointly organised by AICHR Indonesia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.
