Migrant Protection and Assistance

The Employer Sanctions Directive sets out rules to target employers who employ irregular migrants. For example, employers hiring undeclared workers would face sanctions, including fines and paying back wages to their workers. In some cases – such as repeated or conscious hiring of undocumented migrants, or hiring of children or victims of human trafficking – the employers could be punished under criminal law. Furthermore, the legislation includes protection measures in favour of non-EU workers, especially those exploited by unscrupulous employers.

In Vietnam, Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs) were established in the employment service centres run by the Provincial Department of Labour in 2011. This model of an integrated service offers ample opportunity for scale and sustainability. It is estimated that 20% of job seekers that visit the employment service centers are interested in working outside of the country.

The UK Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) was set up to protect workers from exploitation. The  licensing scheme regulates businesses who provide workers to the fresh produce supply chain and horticulture industry, to make sure they meet the employment standards required by law. Employment agencies, labour providers or gangmasters who provide workers to agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering and any associated processing and packaging sectors need a GLA license. 

The UK Government’s Action Plan published in 2007 sets out a comprehensive strategy to tackle human trafficking and protect and support its victims. Provisions exist for a formal ID and referral process, a reflection period, minimum levels of support and temporary residence in certain circumstances.

The mission of the United States-México Border Health Commission is to provide international leadership to optimize health and quality of life along the US-México border.

They have designed joint cross-border strategies to preserve, improve and care for the health of the Mexican migrant population. These include information, referrals, engagement of local migrant networks and access to services, as well as training and guidelines to service providers.

This Act extends the definition of trafficking in children to both sexes and gives more authority to officials as well as more protection to both Thai and foreign children.

The CPMRS project, launched by UNICEF in 2006 in association with key government and university partners, was intended to develop an integrated child protection system in the six tsunami-affected provinces in southern Thailand. The project was expected to: increase public awareness of children’s rights to protection; track the magnitude of child protection issues at local, provincial and national levels in Thailand; and provide adequate response mechanisms for identifying children in need of special protection and for delivering suitable child protection services as early as possible.

According to the Swedish Aliens law, persons who are found not to be “convention” refugees under the 1951 Refugees Convention may also qualify for asylum under a category known as ‘persons in need of protection – skyddsbehövande’. This includes those that have left their native country and have good reason to fear capital punishment, torture, need protection due to war (internal/external) or an environmental disaster in their native country

Moldova is developing a special program for children left behind. It consists on a prolonged school program for children that would allow the school to take over at least partially some of the responsibilities of the parents who are not together with these children.

On education, the government accords basic education in the same manner that Thai children are accorded. And this considering that there are about 60 thousand new born migrant labor in Thailand per year. The children of migrant labor also have access to specifically designed schools for them in their language. In terms of health, Thailand has the universal health coverage system which could be presented as an opportunity to improve the performance of health system services to ensure nondiscriminatory treatment.