ESCAP is the regional development arm of the United Nations and serves as the main economic and social development centre for the United Nations in Asia and the Pacific. Its mandate is to foster cooperation between its 53 members and 9 associate members. ESCAP provides the strategic link between global and country-level programmes and issues. It supports Governments of the region in consolidating regional positions and advocates regional approaches to meeting the region’s unique socio-economic challenges in a globalizing world. The ESCAP office is located in Bangkok, Thailand. Please visit our website at <www.unescap.org> for further information. The shaded areas of the map indicate ESCAP Members and Associate members. Perspectives on Gender and Migration From the Regional Seminar on Strengthening the Capacity of National Machineries for Gender Equality to Shape Migration Policies and Protect Migrant Women, Bangkok, 22-24 November 2006 New York, 2007 ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Perspectives on Gender and Migration ii United Nations publication Sales No. E.07.II.F.26 Copyright © United Nations 2007 All rights reserved Manufactured in Thailand ISBN: 978-92-1-120521-3 ST/ESCAP/2460 This manuscript has been prepared by the Emerging Social Issues Division of the ESCAP Secretariat. It may not be reproduced or reprinted without the express permission of the United Nations. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. References have, wherever possible, been verified. This publication has been issued without formal editing. ii CONTENTS Introduction iv Outcome of the Regional Seminar on Strengthening the Capacity of National 1 Machineries for Gender Equality to Shape Migration Policies and Protect Migrant Women, 22-24 November 2006 Female Labour Migration in Cambodia 6 By Chen Chen Lee Female Migration in Thailand: a study of migrant domestic workers 22 By Sureeporn Punpuing Issues of Female Migrants and a Gendered “Lens” Towards Developmental 48 Resettlement in the Three Gorges Project, China By Yan Tan The Reality of Female International Marriage Migration and Challenges for 80 the Government of the Republic of Korea By Yi Seon Kim Gender and Migration in the Pacific 98 By Avelina Rokoduru The Costs of (Im)mobility: children left behind and children who migrate 120 with a parent By Brenda S.A. Yeoh and Theodora Lam Annex: list of participants of the Regional Seminar 150 iii INTRODUCTION Migration, especially transnational movement, is becoming an increasingly important component of economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific and globally. The growing magnitude of migration is driven by economic disparities between countries, the effects of globalization and different demographic structures. Several million persons from many countries in the region currently live and work outside their country in an effort to improve their own well-being and that of their families. The United Nations has taken several steps in the recent past to place international migration firmly on the development agenda, leading to the convening of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development as part of the sixty-first session of the General Assembly in September 2006. iv It is essential to take into account the gender dimensions of migration and development because most overseas employment opportunities and the social issues arising from migration are gender specific. It is for this reason that ESCAP has incorporated emerging migration issues within its programme on gender and development. This technical report on gender and development has been produced as part of the Project on Beijing+10 Regional Review and Follow-up, supported by the Government of Japan. The first phase of the project supported documentation for and participation by representatives of least developed countries in the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Review Regional Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and its Regional and Global Outcomes, held in Bangkok in September 2004. Under the second phase of the project, ESCAP organized the Regional Seminar on Strengthening the Capacity of National Machineries for Gender Equality to Shape Migration Policies and Protect Migrant Women, held in Bangkok from 22 to 24 November 2006. This report contains the Seminar Outcome adopted at that meeting and discussion papers contributed to the meeting. The topics of the papers cover issues with which national machineries for gender equality may wish to become actively involved. The report includes the emerging social issue of migration of female professional workers between countries in the Pacific. It reviews the situation of migrants who are in much more vulnerable situations, particularly migrant domestic workers, female international marriage migrants, internal migrants working in the garment industry and in disguised sex work, and persons who are displaced by large-scale development projects. One chapter reviews the situation of children and other family members who remain at home when a mother or father migrates. ESCAP will use the Seminar Outcome and papers in this technical report to guide its future iv programme planning. It is our sincere wish that representatives of national machineries for gender equality, other government agencies and non-governmental organizations will find the information and recommendations contained in this report to be of value in policy formulation and programme implementation. It is our objective to promote processes to ensure that migration is beneficial for migrants and their families, as well as for the source and host countries. v SEMINAR OUTCOME The Regional Seminar on Strengthening the Capacity of National Machineries for Gender Equality to Shape Migration Policies and Protect Migrant Women met in Bangkok, Thailand from 22 to 24 November 2006. Participants in the Regional Seminar included representatives of national machineries, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) dealing with migration issues, international organizations and university research institutes. Through detailed presentations and discussions on the gender dimensions of migration, the Regional Seminar considered the following issues to be conveyed to the respective national authorities and related parties. National machineries for gender equality 1. National machineries for gender equality in both source and host countries should aim to take an enhanced role in the formulation and implementation of policies related to internal and international migration. They should encourage gender mainstreaming in the formulation, monitoring and evaluation of those policies. National machineries are urged to play a greater, or lead, role in particular migration issues, such as the protection of the rights of female migrants, child migrants and the children of migrants in vulnerable situations. 2. National machineries for gender equality should promote greater public dialogue concerning the gender aspects of migration. The national machineries are urged to incorporate the contributions of non-governmental and other relevant State and civil society organizations in the formulation and implementation of migration policies. Policy coherence 3. In formulating migration-related policies, Governments should strive to achieve policy coherence, in which migration policies are consistent with other social and economic development policies, cooperation between areas of origin and of destination is promoted, and regional development goals are supported. 4. Statistics on internal and international migration, including on voluntary and forced migration, should be strengthened in order to support the formulation of appropriate policies. The improved monitoring and documentation of migration would enhance migration management. Statistics should be gender responsive and disaggregated by sex, age and origin. Where feasible, more research should be conducted on the modes of regular and irregular migration, the operation of recruitment and employment agents, the employment conditions of migrants, and the costs and benefits of migration to the migrants and their families. 5. Governments are encouraged to pursue co-development strategies in which source and destination countries cooperate to promote cross-border communication and investment, the development of human capital, the efficient transfer of remittances and return migration. Migration policies should benefit countries of origin and destination, and, in particular, migrants themselves. Protection of all migrants 6. Governments, the private sector and civil society are urged to ensure that internationally agreed human rights apply to migrants on a non-discriminatory basis. Similarly, legislation on the protection of workers should apply both to nationals and to migrant workers. National legislation concerning migrants should be aligned with the provisions of core international conventions and instruments that those countries have ratified, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its Covenants, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and ILO International Labour Standards presented in the reference page of this Seminar Outcome. 7. Migrant workers, where feasible, should be entitled to change employers without being forced to leave the country.