Email: [email protected] A Solution to the Economic Crisis? · Did you know? Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and

migrants are job-takers,” says Swing. The economic crisis should also not be used to exploit migrants in the informal sector through the lowering or non-payment of wages, abuses to which undocumented migrants are especially and routinely vulnerable. Their continued ability to send money back home is crucial to fighting poverty in migrant origin countries, where families are often dependent on such funds to pay for basic needs such as food, housing, health and education. Families all over the world are already suffering the consequences of reduced remittances and face an uncertain future.

“Although the economic crisis is still unfolding and its full impact remains unclear, it would be counter-productive for governments in developed countries to close their doors to migrants. Many migrants are still needed in jobs that citizens in industrialized countries are unable or unwilling to take,” says IOM Director General William Lacy Swing. Countries should recog-nize the positive contribu-tion that migrants can make to economic growth and recovery and resist the temptation to close doors to them in times of economic slowdown. This s t ruc tura l need for migrants, who represent the human face of globalization, is underlined by demo-graphic projections showing

that by 2050, these countries will experience even greater labour shortages due to falling birth rates and aging working populations, leaving twice as many people over 60 years of age than children. Indeed, migration has become a linchpin of globalization. “Closing doors wil l undoubted l y encourage m ig ran t s to use the exploitative, abusive and often life-threatening back entrance into destination countries offered by human smugglers and traffickers. Just as importantly, such a reaction risks contributing to greater social division and xenophobia towards migrants already in t h e s e c o u n t r i e s b y perpetuating the myth that

A Solution to the Economic Crisis?

T A B L E O F

C O N T E N T S

A Solution to the

Economic Crisis? 1

Legal Aid for

Migrants 2

News through

images 3

Empowering

Migrant Women 4

UK Returnees

Visa Assistance 5

Global Warming

Capacity Building 6

Events update in March

Newsletter M A R C H 2 0 0 9

Horison Hotel - 40 Cat Linh Street - Ground Floor

Dong Da District - Ha Noi - Viet Nam

Tel: (84-43) 736-6258

Fax: (84-43) 736-6259

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.iom.int/vn

Sub-Office in Ho Chi Minh City

1B Pham Ngoc Thach Street, District 1

Tel: (84-83) 822 - 2057/58

Fax: (84-83) 822 - 1780

Email: [email protected]

International Organization for Migration

DATE/TIME EVENT DESCRIPTION LOCATION

March 06-07 CONTOURS EXHIBITION Hall of National Library

09:00 - 16:00 Act for the equality and 31 Trang Thi Street

Happiness of migrant women Hanoi

March 24 BEHIND THE DREAMS 29 Hang Bai Street

15:30 - 16:50 EXHIBITION : a photo Hanoi

gallery of youth migrants in

Hanoi

P A G E 2

International workshop on legal aid for migrant workers

From November 26-28, 2008, IOM participated in an international workshop organized by the National Legal Aid Association of Viet Nam in Da Nang City. Nearly 100 lawyers and legal aid providers from Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Viet Nam attended the workshop, with the aim of discussing the provision of legal aid in the Asia-Pacific. It was hoped that the three-day discussion would help to improve co-operation amongst all stake-holders in providing legal aid to migrant workers in the region. From the Government of Viet Nam, there were repre-sentatives from the Depart-ment for Management of Overseas Workers, the Central Youth Union, the Central Women's Union and

provincial-level staff from the Department of Justice and the Department of Employ-ment. There were also representatives from the Legal Aid Centers in Binh Duong and Thanh Hoa Provinces, as well as Ho Chi Minh City. The workshop offered a rare opportunity for partici-pants from such a large number of countries to discuss the challenges and successes in providing legal aid to migrants. University of New South Wales PhD student, Ramona Vijeyarasa, a human rights lawyer currently based in the Hanoi office, gave a presentation on the situation of migrant workers in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region and participated in a panel discussion on the human rights of migrant workers. A range of issues were debated, including broker

fees, migration linked to marriage, providing legal advice concerning prosecu-tion of traffickers, enhanced cooperation between legal aid organizations in sending and receiving countries and increased awareness-raising and information for poten-tial migrants. Participants from national legal aid associations also discussed the mechanics of their domestic legal aid systems, including accessibility and the scope of services pro-vided to migrants. Presenta-tions were also made on behalf of the Government of China and Indonesia. It is hoped that the net-work of lawyers that emerged from the confer-ence continues to dialog on increased cooperation and sharing of ideas in an effort to improve the legal support offered to migrant workers in both sending and receiving countries.

N E W S L E T T E R

Did you know?

Established in 1951,

IOM is the leading

inter-governmental

organization in the

field of migration and

works closely with

governmental,

intergovernmental and

non-governmental

partners.

IOM works to help

ensure the orderly and

humane management

of migration, to

promote international

cooperation on

migration issues, to

assist in the search for

practical solutions to

migration problems

and to provide

humanitarian

assistance to migrants

in need, including

refugees and internally

displaced people.

The IOM

Constitution

recognizes the link

between migration and

economic, social and

cultural development,

as well as the right of

freedom of

movement.

IOM in Vietnam IOM first began operations in Viet Nam in 1987 and operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. IOM’s operations in Viet Nam is concerned with the welfare and quality of life of the Vietnamese people. Particularly migrants and mobile populations. The program focuses on safe migration and mobility including:

Counter trafficking

Labor migration

Public health and social services

Access to information

In carrying out its work IOM cooperates closely with other members of the UN Country Team in Viet Nam. It also partners with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Transport, and the Viet Nam Women’s Union, and has project activities in provinces throughout the country.

News through Images P A G E 3 M A R C H 2 0 0 9

Under the project entitled “Violence against women – a rights- based approach of empowering migrant women affected by violence in Hanoi”, a communication campaign was held with the participation of project peer facilitators with the technical support from the project implementing organizations. This campaign gathered widespread attention from many at the Long Bien Market on December 23, 2008 including many migrants in Hanoi.

Above: “Act for the equality and

happiness of migrant women”

Photovoice activities with young migrant workers in Hanoi. These activities provides a means for young migrant workers to express

themselves, and share with each other the experiences of their new life in the city, the challenges they face, as well as their hopes

an dreams. Courses on photography, and English are offered to participants.

Right: young migrants share

moments discovery through fun

activities

IOM’s presentation on

the issues concerning

migration at the Institute for International

Relations during the YOUTH

AWARENESS program.

P A G E 4

Empowering Migrant Women through a Rights Based Approach

groups of activities: Capacity building for peer facilitators and local NGOs working on human rights; mapping of service providers and developing an initial service referral system; self help groups; outreach and communicat ion ; po l i cy advocacy and implementa-tion; and social and health service provision. Nine migrant women affected by violence were recruited as potential peer facilitators provided with training on such themes as human rights and violence against women; migration and mobility; communication skills; and skills concerning self help group establishment and facilitation. With the knowledge and skills they have obtained from the project together with their own experiences, the facilitators have managed to reach 89 rights-holders in the community. So far, nine self help groups have been

established and forty-nine self help groups meetings have been held. Discussions at these meetings have ranged from women’s rights, gender equality, traf-ficking, domestic violence, relevant laws, as well as individual experiences. Confidentiality has been a key element to the self-help groups many successes. One participant stated, “I am not the only person who has suffered from violence, for there are a lot of women who are victims of violence against women in my commu-nity. Now I realize that women have as much rights as men do. ” Regular meetings are held 3 to 4 times a month. These meetings provide a forum for group counselling for the personal challenges faced by the facilitators themselves, their past ex-periences, as well as more information and discussion on new topics such as life values and positive thinking.

Internal migrants, who are believed to be particularly vulnerable to violence, comprise at least 30 percent of Viet Nam’s urban popula-tions, many of whom are women. Research conducted by IOM in 2007 on the experiences of migrant women working in factories revealed that many of the women interviewed had experienced violence, par-t i c u l a r l y i n i n t ima te relationships. Funded by the European Union, IOM is working in Hanoi in partnership with three local NGOs to improve support provided to these m i g ran t women who experience violence. This 18-month project entitled, “Violence Against Women – A rights-based approach to empowering migrant women affected by violence in Hanoi” has seen considerable success since its implementation in January 2008. The project contains six main

N E W S L E T T E R

Photovoice Funded by UN Youth Theme Group and IOM, PhotoVoice project is carried out by staff from IOM, UNV and two volunteer artists. The project encourages vulnerable, young migrants to share their experiences, concerns and hopes for the future living in Hanoi by taking photos of the world around them and writing their own stories. Through photography these young migrants will find greater confidence and will be able to speak out about

the challenges they face in their daily lives, their indi-vidual concerns, hopes and fears. The project plans to hold a public photography exhibition and present a short documentary about the lives of young migrants in Hanoi. The project also aims to raise awareness of the issues related to migrant workers in cities and will be presented to the grand public by the beginning of March 2009.

“Now I realize

that women

have as much

rights as men

do.”

Facilitators working with

migrant women affected by

violence.

Regular

activities

with the

migrant

group

P A G E 5 M A R C H 2 0 0 9

Visa Assistance Provided by IOM

AUSTRALIA

IOM handles the lodgment of applications, the receipt of the visa application charge (VAC) and IOM service fee and provides related forms and booklets, checklists, and other important information related to applying for an Australian visa.

CANADA

On behalf of the Consulate General

The visa application centers in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have been opened to better serve the growing numbers of people in Viet Nam wanting to travel to Australia and Canada. The modern centers provide applicants with skilled, client-oriented staff as well as com-fortable waiting areas, and include other amenities such as: ADSL Internet access for on- l ine v i sa app l i cat ion research, e-mail, web search; Up-to-date Australian and

Canadian visa application forms and information sheets, as well as other general information on migrating to Australia and Canada;

Extended working hours with international service standards;

French/English/Vietnamesespeaking staff;

Enhanced accessibility, enabling a p p l i c a t i o n p a y m e n t & submission in one convenient location;

New application submission options (Hanoi centre, mail-in for provincial applicants).

of Canada, application centre staff handle general visa application enquiries, review visa applications and supporting documentation for completeness, receive visa applica-tion, supporting documentation and visa processing fees, distribute visa application-related forms, provide data-entry duties and return visa application related mail. Both centers provide forms and information sheets, and other important information related to applying for Canadian temporary residency.

Other services include:

A i d i n t h e t r a v e l a n d transportation process

Aid in the migration process

Healthcare checkups prior to migration

For further information, please contact our IOM offices in Ho Chi Minh City and in Ha Noi, or visit our website at: www.iom.int/vn

cation and vocational training. The primary aim is to help returnees gradually integrate into the commu-nity, stabilize their lives and to enjoy a brighter future based on knowl-edge and a job.

In October 2007, a new approach to supporting reintegration was adopted aiming to move from a “one size fits all” model towards reinte-gration assistance that is more tai-lored to the individual needs of re-turnees and their families. The ap-proach requires the returnee to pro-

There are a number of migrants of irregular status in the United Kingdom, some of whom are Viet Namese. IOM in Viet Nam works with the IOM Office in the UK and the Government of the United King-dom to implement the reintegration component of a voluntary return program for those who return home to Viet Nam voluntarily.

This project assists returnees in a number of ways including by provid-ing initial funding for micro business start up, and by funding further edu-

vide considerably more information on the activity they propose to engage in, and the financial support for business start up is divided into 2 installments. The 2nd installment is made only upon the successful evaluation of the business after 6 months where progress is assessed. After more than a year of implemen-tation, the new approach has proven to be most effective in addressing specific needs for assistance and has succeeded in improving the chances of returnees reintegrating success-fully back into Vietnamese society.

Assistance to Returnees from the UK

IT’S STILL THE RIGHT TIME TO BATTLE GLOBAL WARMING

first assessment report, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Cli-mate Change) estimated that the greatest single impact of CC might be on human mobility. A re cen t i n ve s t i g a t i on conducted by Olivia Dun (Research Associate at the UN University Institute for Environ-ment & Human Security) and IOM shows the intensity of global warming effects on the popula-tions of 9 Vietnamese provinces: An Giang, Ben Tre, Can Tho, Dong Thap, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Long An, Tien Giang and Vinh Long. According to the inves-tigation, “regular flooding of the Mekong River affects 40%-50% of the land area across [these] 9 provinces” and occurs annually between July and November. Although these annual floods provide valuable sources of sedi-ments and soils to the regions,

When considering climate change (CC), themes such as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and poverty growth are predominantly tackled. Meanwhile, data collection on the immediate consequences of CC on human migration is relatively rare. CC results in the alteration of environmental patterns (for Viet Nam, the example often used is the increase in natural disasters: flooding and landslides) which in its turn, creates a direct impact on migrat ion, or population displacement. As early as 1990, in its very

“the varying flood levels and durations can have negative conse-quences, increasing the vulnerability of directly-affected households and requiring adaptation strategies.” Each year, a large number of people migrate to nearby cities like Ho Chi Minh City during rainy season. Natural hazards along with negative externalities on the environment caused partially by the increase in eco-nomic activities push the people into a precarious situation. Further research on strategies to meet with demands of seasonal mass migration is necessary to prevent social, economic and security problems in over-crowding cities in Viet Nam. Organized migration management will help these seasonal migrants find the security which they seek in the city.

CAPACITY BUILDING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

and the appointed bodies under the committee. A small fund wi l l be developed as an incentive for inno-vative ideas from provincial level agencies. Capacity building activities consist mainly of training for Border Guards officials and Police officers in

border provinces.

The training will be based on human trafficking, the National Plan of Action and the newly developed guidelines on victim identification and return and reintegration.

Additional to that, the training will include an overview of existing legislation and to assist in the process of implementation to improve services in victim support and protection. In order to provide returning victims of trafficking from abroad with appropriate assistance and information, at least four border guard offices will be upgraded and provided with victim friendly interview rooms and other necessary equipment. Additionally a fund will be established to provide legal aid for victims of trafficking to go to court hearings, to provide them with the necessary documents and other legal issues, necessary to reinte-grate.

This project will provide assistance for the government of Viet Nam to implement the four components of the National Plan of Action, to mainstream victim support and assistance into the NPA and to develop coordination, monitoring and evalua-tion mechanisms. The project will also focus on capacity build-ing activities for law enforcement staff, provide technical assistance for the Border Guard offices in at least four provinces and provide legal aid for victims of trafficking. The target group for the NPA implementation is the National Steering Committee

N E W S L E T T E R

Anti-trafficking Poster used in Viet Nam

P A G E 6 M A R C H 2 0 0 9