{"id":20146,"date":"2021-12-09T18:18:20","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T10:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mekongmigration.org\/?p=20146"},"modified":"2022-01-14T18:10:20","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T10:10:20","slug":"mmn-statement-following-our-multi-stakeholder-workshop-to-discuss-strategies-for-fairer-labour-migration-to-japan-from-cambodia-and-vietnam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mekongmigration.org\/?p=20146","title":{"rendered":"MMN statement following our multi-stakeholder workshop to discuss strategies for fairer labour migration to Japan from Cambodia and Vietnam"},"content":{"rendered":"

MMN statement following our multi-stakeholder workshop to discuss strategies for fairer labour migration to Japan from Cambodia and Vietnam <\/strong><\/p>\n

10 December 2021<\/em><\/p>\n

As Japan considers granting more migrant workers a pathway to permanent residence, the Mekong Migration Network (MMN) convened a workshop attended by more than 90 representatives from key migration stakeholders, including officials from the governments of Japan, Cambodia and Vietnam; intergovernmental organizations; migration advocates; recruitment agencies; employers; and academic experts, on 24 November 2021. The workshop provided an opportunity for diverse voices in Japan and the two important countries of origin, Cambodia and Vietnam, to share their perspectives and jointly develop strategies on some of the pressing issues facing migrant workers under Japan\u2019s Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) and its newly expanded Specified Skilled Workers (SSW) scheme. In particular, participants sought solutions to ongoing problems surrounding the steep recruitment fees paid by migrants to work in Japan and obstacles relating to information dissemination on matters such as healthcare, an urgent issue given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Introducing the event, Ms. Jacqueline Pollock, former Chairperson of MMN\u2019s Steering Committee highlighted the need for collaborative thinking among stakeholders and that the workshop, held online amid the ongoing pandemic, provided \u201can opportune moment to reflect on what we have learned, what we have not learned, and what we should have learned from this period\u201d. She said that \u201cthe workshop will provide action points for ways forward\u2026, as to have a migration system that does not put people at risk, there needs to be respect for the interdependency of migrants, their countries or origins, and the countries of destination.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the presentations that followed, Mr. Mikio Hayashi, First Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam noted that \u201cthe high cost of migrating to Japan often led circumstances that saw migrant trainees run away from their work programs. Pressure to service loans taken to pay steep migration costs lure trainees away. Thus, in order to reduce the high migration cost to Japan, the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam has taken various measures including establishing a platform which allows prospective migrants to access information without brokers\u2019 involvement, disseminating correct information on work and life in Japan and collecting information on unethical recruitment agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commenting on the role companies can play in improving the conditions for migrant workers, Mr. Youzou Nakao, from the Ajinomoto Corporation\u2019s Sustainability Development Department, stated that while major Japanese companies have agreed in principle that migrant workers should not bear recruitment costs and related fees, as stated in the Tokyo Declaration on Responsible Recruitment of Foreign Workers 2020, he pointed to a need for greater transparency on recruitment costs in countries of origin. \u00a0He has also confirmed that a multistakeholder platform has now been established, as many companies share the view that the rights of foreign workers need protection and their working and living conditions improved, so that \u201cJapan can be chosen as a preferred destination country\u201d by migrant workers in the future.<\/p>\n

Ms. Sooyeon Choi from Solidarity with Migrants in Japan, a non-governmental organisation advocating for the rights and dignity of migrants and people with multicultural backgrounds living in Japan, presented on another thematic focus of the workshop, migrants\u2019 access to information on health matters, including reproductive rights. Concerning the difficulties faced by migrant women who become pregnant, she said that despite the fact migrant women are protected by law against dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy, \u201cthere is a fear of disclosing pregnancy because some TITP and SSW contracts prohibit pregnancy, which forces them to resign from their job.\u00a0 They also face problems accessing information on how to give birth and raise children in Japan and accessing necessary social services, along with issues relating to debts incurred during the recruitment process\u201d.<\/p>\n

Concurrent sessions focusing on Cambodia and Vietnam as countries of origin followed, in which representatives of respective countries\u2019 governments, recruitment agencies, civil society organsiations and ILO presented their policies, practices and challenges in improving the situation.<\/p>\n

Mr. Bunhak An, Chairperson of the Manpower Association of Cambodia, an association of private recruitment agencies in Cambodia, stated: \u201cIf we do not have to spend the unnecessary cost, the fee goes down to the level of the Philippines. My understanding is, when I look into Japanese law and regulations, zero-recruitment fee would be possible\u2026 If we receive USD 3,000 for one Cambodian worker, it is enough for recruitment agencies to cover operation costs without charging workers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Sokchar Mom, the Executive Director of the NGO, the Legal Support for Children and Women recommended that the Cambodian government \u201cregulate the cost structure for Japan through consultation processes between trade unions, migrant workers, NGOs, and government agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to the question of how to improve transparency in relation to migration costs, Mr. Le Long Son, Vice Chairperson of the Vietnamese Association for Manpower Supply, an association of recruitment agencies, stated: \u201cProspective migrants must have an access to information on laws and policies concerning employment in Japan, and they should be able to directly contact recruitment agencies without relying on brokers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Jane Hodge, from the International Labour Organization in Vietnam, pointed out that there is presently no itemised list of migration costs that exists and that a lot of work needs to be done throughout the supply chain to make sure migrant workers are not exploited.<\/p>\n

The Workshop concluded with a lively synthesis exploring practical ways of making the deployment of workers in Japan a fairer process for migrants. Strategies discussed included:<\/p>\n