Moving Across Borders

An on-site report from the 2nd Asia Pacific Conference on Sexual Reproductive Health (APCRSH) describes the maltreatment and human rights violations experienced by migrants in the Asia Pacific region. The full report provides examples of rights violations as well as examples of a few governments that have taken action to improve migrants' living conditions.

The author writes, "Young girls from Nepal who are trafficked across the border to India for sex work are generally minors. Relatives, friends or strangers sell them to brothels in Mumbai and Delhi. Here, they have little or no access toeducational material or health information in the Nepalese language. Reproductive tract infections (RTIs ) and sexually transmitteddiseases(STDs) such as HIV/AIDS and syphilis are viewed as “occupationalhazards.” Misconceptions abound and most do not access health-careunless absolutely necessary. Then, too, they seek confidentiality and end uppaying a small fortune to private practitioners for a minor medicalprescription. Women who become victims of sex trafficking not onlysuffer from sexual violence, but are also victims of economic exploitation andabuse from policemen and are at high risk of morbidity fromreproductive and sexual health problems."

A few countries inthe Asia Pacific region have made advances in improving the conditions ofmigrants. "The Philippines hasratified the UN Migrant Workers Convention, and Bangladesh has signed theConvention and lifted the ban on women migrants. The Sri Lankan Bureau ofForeign Employment protects its own nationals." Sajida Ally, ProgrammeCoordinator for the Asian Migrant Centre based in Hong Kong believes thathealth organisations must mainstream migrants in their agenda. “It isimportant to place the health needs and rights of migrants in a largercontext. Migration is a political issue, and people need to ‘migrate withrights'."

The author concludes that if the living conditions of migrants is to improve, "... governments of South East Asian countries must be urged tosign and ratify international covenants for the protection of migrantrights. They must monitor compliance with the international protocol onhuman rights; promotion of savings and insurance schemes; strictregulation of labour recruitment; and provision of legal, social andeducational outreach to migrant workers."

Click here for the full report online.GENDER-AIDS is an international forum on issues around gender andHIV/AIDS.

Coordinated by Health & Development Networks (HDN), with technicalsupport from Health Systems Trust (HST), and with the support of theGovernment of Ireland.