Asian countries adopt 'Seoul Statement' to protect migrant workers

SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- Asian countries pledged cross-border cooperation on Wednesday to promote the human rights of migrant workers in the region, noting that many fall victim to labor exploitation and discrimination contrary to international law.

In the "Seoul Statement" adopted after a three-day forum in the South Korean
capital, senior human rights officials and experts from 13 Asian countries
asserted that migrants should receive the same protection as locals according to
international law and the constitution of the host country.
"In many countries across Asia, contrary to international law, the immigration
status of people tends to result in the denial of basic human rights," the
participants said in the joint statement.
"A very large number of migrant workers, owing to their poverty and
disenfranchisement and the gap in protection in countries of origin and
destination, are victims of poor labor standards amd are vulnerable to several
forms of exploitation," they said.
The participants noted that migration is a global phenomenon shaped by wider
economic and political processes and host countries should refrain from "the
criminalization of irregular workers" staying without visas.
Such undocumented workers are vulnerable to human rights abuses in the process of
detention or repatriation, they said.
Also, the failure of host countries to register the children of migrant workers
"creates a vicious cycle of stateless children living a state of limbo," they
noted.
The participants called for both legislative and educational efforts to recognize
cultural diversity and fight ethnic prejudice that often prompt acts of hate
toward migrants.
Some 150 human rights officials and experts participated in the International
Conference on Human Rights of Migrants and Multi-cultural Society, hosted by the
National Human Rights Commission of Korea.
Besides the guidelines, the Korean rights watchdog signed a memorandum of
understanding with countries that send migrant workers to Korea, such as
Mongolia, Indonesia and Nepal, to boost cross-border cooperation.
South Korea established several anti-discrimination laws in the face of a rapidly
growing number of industrial migrant workers and foreign brides beginning in the
1990s. Such legislation includes a multi-ethnic family support law, adopted this
year, to help foreign brides learn the Korean language and ensure compulsory
education for children of illegal residents.
About 1.2 million foreigners reside here, many from Southeast Asia, who fill in
the labor vacuum in low-paying, labor-intensive industrial complexes. An exodus
of young women from Korea's rural areas has also forced local farmers to go in
search of brides from Southeast Asia. The number of children from multi-ethnic
families has reached 60,000.