Background Information Cambodia
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TRIANGLE in ASEAN Programme Quarterly Briefing Note Cambodia (April – June 2021) Key partners Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MOLVT) Provincial Departments of Labour and Vocational Training (PDOLVT), Kampong Cham, Prey Veng, Battambang, and Kampot Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC) National Employment Agency (NEA) Legal Support for Children and Women (LSCW) Phnom Srey Organization for Development (PSOD) Gender and Development Cambodia (GADC) Target sites Kampong Cham, Prey Veng, Battambang, Phnom Penh, and Kampot Focal point Mr Veth Vorn, National Programme Coordinator, [email protected], +855 12 777264 Background information Cambodia is a major country of origin for migrants, with over 1,100,000 abroad in 2020 (UNDESA). Most seek work outside of the country due to a lack of sufficient employment opportunities available domestically and the significant wage differentials of employment overseas. The primary destination country for Cambodian migrant workers is Thailand, with workers commonly migrating into the fishing, agriculture, livestock, construction, manufacturing and service sectors, including domestic work. Only a small proportion of these workers use regular channels to migrate due to the high cost, considerable time investment and administrative complexities involved. According to a survey conducted by the ILO and IOM, less than a third of Cambodian migrants use regular channels to migrate, with the majority relying on social networks and unlicensed brokers (53 per cent) to go abroad. (ILO and IOM, 2017). Since 2010, the Republic of Korea has become the second most popular destination for regular Cambodian migrant workers. Cambodia also has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Japan, but far fewer migrants travel there for work, likely due to the technical requirements of the Industrial Training Program and Technical Internship Program. MOUs with the governments of Kuwait and Qatar were signed in 2009 and 2011, but so far, no Cambodian migrant workers have been sent through these channels. Bilateral agreements on the deployment of domestic workers abroad have also been signed with several destination countries, including Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. However, these agreements have proven contentious, with reports of abuse and exploitation of domestic workers recorded in all countries where Cambodian domestic workers are employed. In response, the Cambodian Government suspended ‘first-time’ migration to Malaysia for domestic work in 2011. After several years of a bilateral negotiation between Cambodia and Malaysia, an MOU to resume the deployment of domestic workers was signed in 2015. However, the restriction remains officially in place pending agreement on standard operating procedures for sending domestic workers abroad (ILO, 2017). The Cambodian Labour Migration Policy and Action Plan (2019-2023) outlines the government’s commitment to leveraging the benefits of labour migration for the country’s long-term development. The policy is unique within South-East Asia in applying a holistic and multi-ministerial approach to labour migration governance. International Labour Organization +662 288 1742 ILOTV Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Building www.ilo.org/asia iloasiapacific Rajdamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand ILO.ORG @ILOAsiaPacific Copyright © International Labour Organization 2021 TRIANGLE in ASEAN Programme Quarterly Briefing Note Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Cambodia at a glance the entire world, including the ASEAN region. Women and men migrant workers in the region are striving to Population: 16.72 million protect their livelihoods and their health through the crisis, yet many are disproportionately affected by Labour Force: 9.32 million COVID-19 and its economic and health impacts. During Source: UN Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2019 this reporting period, TRIANGLE in ASEAN has focused Revision; ILOSTAT 2019 on both a legal and humanitarian response to the Migrant workers in Thailand COVID-19 crisis. MOU migrant workers = 231,151 (Women= 102,713 / Men= 128,438) Registered migrant workers completing nationality Key developments verification including those under the 2019 Thai Cabinet Resolution1 = 213,455 The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all social (Women= 96,083/ Men= 117,372) dimensions in Cambodia, including employment and Migrant workers under the 4 August 2020 Cabinet migration. While some migrant workers continue to return Resolutions (includes border employment)2 = 70,994 home due to job losses, others have begun (re)migration, (Women= 31,626/ Men= 39,368) with reports of migrant workers crossing the border to Source: Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Thailand despite entry restrictions. The pandemic also Employment, Ministry of Labour, Thailand (November 2020) continues to impact the delivery of ILO activities in Migrant workers in other Cambodia. destination countries According to a United Nations report, over 200,000 (43 Malaysia: 30,113 migrant workers per cent women) Cambodian migrant workers have been (Women= 25,872 / Men=4,241) recorded as returned to Cambodia since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In April and early May, Phnom Republic of Korea: 49,099 migrant workers Penh and several provinces, including Kampong Cham, (Women=10,403 / Men=38,696) were placed under lockdown due to community Japan: 9,195 migrant workers transmission. As of 30 June 2021, 50,385 infections and (Women=3,867 / Men=5,328) 602 recorded deaths resulting from COVID-19 were Singapore: 851 migrant workers reported by the Cambodian Ministry of Health. (Women=831 / Men=20) Source: MoLVT’s Policy on Labour Migration 2019-2023; Point in time On 29 June 2021, the Cambodian Government agreed to measurement from Cambodian Government data (2018) extend existing policy support until September 2021, TRIANGLE in ASEAN delivers assistance directly to migrant including a cash transfer programme for poor and workers and their communities through eight Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs). These MRCs are vulnerable households. It is expected that it will be managed in partnership with government institutions, trade unions and civil society organizations and, in each location, accessible to returned migrant workers and their families. linked with an additional MRC in the local Provincial Department of Labour and Vocational Training. These MRCs are based in Battambang (with the National From March to June, the Provincial Departments of Employment Agency), Kampong Cham (with Phnom Srey Labour and Vocational Training (PDoLVTs) in Organization for Development), Kampot (with the National Employment Agency), and in Prey Veng (with Cambodian Battambang, Kampong Cham, Prey Veng and Kampot Labour Confederation). reported 17,080 migrant workers (M:11,189; W:5,891) Since the start of the programme until the end of 2020, in quarantine. Migrant workers returned predominately TRIANGLE in ASEAN reached 41,127 migrant workers (53% women) through Cambodian MRCs. from Thailand, followed by Malaysia and Viet Nam. 1 The August 2019 Cabinet resolution allows migrant workers to On 29 June, following the closure of 575 construction sites renew a work permit without leaving Thailand. This include those who have completed nationality verification and held temporary passports, and camps in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, travel documents, or certificate of identity. reports emerged that migrant workers, including a 2 This Cabinet resolutions, in response to COVID-19, granted extensions to four groups of migrant workers, whose work permit significant number of Cambodians, living on-site lacked would expire during that time, including MoU workers with a completed four years contract, and migrant workers holding border access to food and health care. Migrant workers also passes under border employment scheme. returned to Cambodia, reports suggest. International Labour Organization +662 288 1742 ILOTV Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Building www.ilo.org/asia iloasiapacific Rajdamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand ILO.ORG @ILOAsiaPacific Copyright © International Labour Organization 2021 TRIANGLE in ASEAN Programme Quarterly Briefing Note All ILO supported Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs), and the PDoLVTs remained open during the period. MRC staff, working with the Legal Support for Children and Women (LSCW), and officials of PDoLVTS provided direct relief assistance and used remote counselling. Main programme activities: April – June 2021 On 1 April, an initial meeting between ILO and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training was organized to discuss the development of the labour migration law. The discussion focused on the importance of being in line with national and international standards and having consultations with relevant stakeholders. In addition, it discussed areas of support, including technical and policy advice and financial support from ILO, sharing of international and regional good practices and labour standards and the timeframe for development of the law. On 18 May, TRIANGLE in ASEAN discussed steps forward for the monitoring and evaluation tool for Cambodian Private Recruitment Agencies in the context of COVID-19 with the two employer associations, the Association of Cambodian Recruitment Agencies (ACRA) and Manpower Association of Cambodia (MAC). Both indicated a willingness to move forward to the pilot stage in the second half of 2021. In this quarter, the PDoLVTs and MRCs in