Progress report for
Creating a level-playing field based on decent work and social sustainability in the blue economy
Achievement at a glance
The 4-year regional initiative ‘Ship to Shore Rights Southeast Asia (S2SR SEA) programme’ has made substantial progress towards decent work for migrants within the region’s blue economy. Through collaborative efforts with governments, the private sector, trade unions and civil society, the initiative has strengthened labour standards, supported legislative reforms, enhanced access to justice and support services for migrant workers and promoted responsible business practices. By fostering knowledge creation, capacity building and public awareness, the programme has laid a strong foundation for sustainable improvements in labour migration governance and protection of workers’ rights in the fishing and seafood processing sectors.Challenges faced in implementation
- Civil society organisations ending their activities and support to migrant workers in Cambodia- Enforcement of the desuetude conscription law in Myanmar impacting migration flows.
- The operational environment for international organisations in some countries in the region.
Next Steps
Benedicte CaremierBeneficiaries
Migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing industry in South-East Asia.
Actions
Over its four years of implementation, the Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia Programme has contributed to a wide range of positive improvements.Labour standards in the fishing and seafood processing sectors have been strengthened through the adoption of 31 policy and legal instruments. The key regional policy
achievements of the programme were supporting the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers and the ASEAN Guidelines on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers.
- At the national level, key legislative milestones included the Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers, Indonesia’s Government Regulation No. 22 of 2022 on the placement and
protection of migrant crews and the adoption of five sub-laws to support the implementation of the Law on Contract-Based Vietnamese Workers Overseas in Viet Nam.
- Capacity building training on enforcement of labour laws, application of responsible business practices and other critical needs were provided to 5,682 stakeholders.
- Engaging the private sector to ensure responsible business practices has been integral to the programme’s approach in Thailand and Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Through the Seafood Good Labour Practices programme, the Thai Tuna Industry Association and the Thai Frozen Foods Association have conducted more than 80 factory visits per year, helping to improve working conditions for the over 77,000 Thai and migrant workers employed by their member companies. In addition, the Lao Employment Business Association was established. The programme has supported a network of 23 Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs) to deliver targeted and sector-specific assistance for migrant fishing and seafood processing workers in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. To date, these organisations have delivered individualised support services to 236,082 migrant workers and their family members. A legal assistance services critical outcome has been greater access to remedies for labour rights abuses, including nearly US$1.2 million in money awarded to complainants.
- The programme institutionalised 22 operational tools to support anti-trafficking and protection of labour rights efforts, including guidelines for the national referral mechanism on human trafficking in Thailand, pre-departure training for work in the fishing/seafood processing sectors in Lao People’s Democratic Republic and the migrant fishers’ information package in the Philippines.
- The programme helped to facilitate 757 national and transnational referrals for survivors from South-East Asia who had been trafficked to Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Fiji, Malta, Somalia and Madagascar. These individuals were provided with protection services and eventually repatriated to their countries of origin. The programme delivered direct support to 439 trafficking survivors from Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic for successful community reintegration.
- Public information campaigns, reaching over three million people. BBC Media Action’s Yay Kyi Yar Facebook campaign in Myanmar delivered safe migration and labour rights information to more than 1.5 million followers.
- SEAJunction produced and launch a photo exhibition entitled “Not just Labor: Migrant Photo Voices from Thailand’s Fisheries”. The exhibition featured photo stories taken by Cambodian and Myanmar migrant workers.
- The programme published 23 new knowledge products.