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.
In between the consultations, there have been opportunities for information dissemination and capacity building on the MRA as a review mechanism of recruitment agencies by migrant workers for migrant workers, and on MRVRS / Hamsa on the complaints mechanism by the MFA network, and eventually to the ITUC affiliates as well. These spaces were also used to collect offline reviews from returnee migrant workers while the website is still under construction.
In the Philippines, the MRA was officially launched in different major cities—19 July in Davao, 20 July in Cebu, and 26 July in Manila. The Davao and Cebu launch both consisted of 50 participants who are returnee migrant workers, migrants’ groups, trade unions, media, lawyers, non-government organizations, and local government. Meanwhile, the Manila launch included consisted of 60 participants who are returnee migrant workers, migrants’ groups, trade unions, media, lawyers, non-government organizations, and government agencies such as the Philippine Overseas Employment Authority (POEA).
To access the Hamsa complaints mechanism: http://mfasia.org/online-complaints-form/
To access the Migrant Recruitment Advisor: https://www.recruitmentadvisor.org/
For more information please contact William Gois of the MFA Secretariat at: mfa@mfasia.org.