Women migrant workers around the world face many potential difficulties, including low wages, poor working conditions, trafficking, domestic violence, problematic immigration status, and various human rights violations. A number of organizations now provide information and services; coordinate the activities of grassroots advocacy groups; and serve as clearinghouses for services available to migrant women workers. Below is a small sampling of the many organizations devoted to these important issues.
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Established in 1951 to resettle displaced persons in Europe, IOM now has offices on every continent and maintains close working relations with the United Nations and a wide range of NGOs. It is a good source of information. IOM’s Working Group on Gender Issues prepares a helpful quarterly, Gender Bulletin.
International Labor Organization (ILO)
Established in 1944, the ILO gathers information and prepares reports on various issues vital to migrant women workers. The ILO has also coordinated efforts with the United Nations and other international organizations to address the problems of migrant women workers. A joint project between the ILO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has addressed the trafficking of children in Africa. A joint project with the World Health Organization (WHO) has tackled debt bondage
in Asia. In 1998 the ILO issued a Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which called for the eradication of forced labor.
The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW)
GAATW was formed in 1994 in Thailand. It promotes grassroots activism on behalf of trafficked women and has published a handbook for NGOs and activists concerned with trafficking.
The International Coordination Office
P.O. Box 36, Bangkok Noi Office
Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Phone: (662) 864-1427-8
Fax: (662) 864-1637
E-mail: gaatw@mozart.inet.co.th
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW)
CATW is a clearinghouse for a variety of anti-trafficking organizations that fight sexual exploitation around the world (e.g., in Bangladesh, France, the United States, and the Philippines). Having spearheaded the drive to establish a new United Nations Convention Against Sexual Exploitation, CATW now seeks to establish this convention as an article of international law.
International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR)
IMADR is an international nonprofit human rights organization that publishes resources for anti-racism NGOs and activists.
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
Among other things, the AFL-CIO addresses the concerns of immigrant workers in the United States. It has an excellent set of resources, including written materials on the legal rights of immigrants and union activities on behalf of migrants. (Also see http://www.aflcio.org/immigrantworkers/index.htm.) The AFL-CIO also has branches outside the United States. The Sri Lankan branch of the AFL-CIO, called the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, works on the migration of labor from Sri Lanka to the Middle East. ACILS’s address is:
9, Kinross Avenue
Colombo 4, Sri Lanka
Phone:+94-1-580080
Fax: +91-1-593123
Kalayaan! Justice for Migrant Domestic Workers
Kalayaan! works with documented and undocumented migrant domestic workers in the United Kingdom. It maintains strong links with sister organizations in the European Union.
St. Francis Centre
13 Hippodrome Place
London W11 4SF, England
Phone: 020-7243-2942
Fax: 020-7792-3060
E-mail: kalayaanuk@aol.com
Center for Filipino Migrant Workers (CFMW)
CFMW publishes two newsletters on migrant issues, called Kababayan and Migration Monitor. It also coordinates services and activism on behalf of Filipino migrant workers in the European Union.
CFMW International
Paulus Potterstraat 20
1071 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Phone: 20-664-6927
Fax: 20-664-7093
E-mail: cfmw@open.net
Stop-Traffic
Stop-Traffic is an open, international, electronic mailing list funded by the Women’s Reproductive Health Initiative of the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health. It addresses human rights abuses associated with forced labor trafficking around the world.
National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice
The National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice is a network of religious activists that works to improve the wages, benefits, and working conditions of migrant workers. Based in the United States, it has a partnership with the Department of Labor. The organization hopes to help enforce workers’ rights to engage in collective bargaining.
1020 Bryn Mawr Avenue, 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60660
Phone: 773-728-8400
Migrants.Net
Migrants.Net provides online resources for migrant workers.
The Mission for Filipino Migrant Workers (MFMW)
Established in 1981 by various churches, MFMW provides information and outreach to Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong. The Mission focuses on crisis intervention and prevention, and offers legal and social services.
St. John’s Cathedral
Garden Road, Central
Hong Kong, SAR
Phone: 25228264
E-mail: migrant@pacific.net.hk
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles (CHIRLA)
Formed in 1986, CHIRLA serves as a clearinghouse and library for agencies and individuals with an interest in immigrants’ rights. It also provides training and technical assistance to 125 grassroots organizations in Southern California.
1521 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: 213-353-1333
Fax: 213-353-1344
E-mail: chirla@earthlink.net