Int'l conference in Nepal discusses protecting rights of migrant workers

Protecting rights of migrant workers was on the top of the agenda of an international human rights conference organised by the Nepal government here. The three-day conference on the protection of rights of the migrant workers of Nepal, which concluded on Thursday, was attended by over 100 delegates and representatives of the human rights commissions of 25 countries, including India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, according to press release issued by Nepal's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

The participants held extensive discussions on various challenges and prospects for protecting rights of the migrant workers through all stages of the migration process. The conference also focussed on the situation of the south-south migration in the Asia Pacific region, the release said. "Cooperation and partnerships based on international legal and cooperative frameworks as well as synergy between human rights mechanisms and joint political commitments were deemed effective tools for the protection of migrant workers' rights," it said.

The participants stressed on enhancing institutional framework of the National Human Rights Institutions both at the bilateral and the regional levels, within the NHRI as well as with external stakeholders to strengthen cooperation, collaboration and advocacy for respect and protection of rights of migrant workers. The conference also envisaged forging cooperation for providing effective remedies to victims of rights violations in the migration process through measures such as complaints lodging, legal counselling, investigation and law enforcement authorities, irrespective of the status of the victims.

The conference also underlined the need for promoting skill migration to match market demand and bringing employer pay principle as commitment to protecting and respecting the rights of the unskilled, low-skilled and semi-skilled migrant workers. A 21-point Kathmandu Declaration was issued after the conclusion of the conference, organised by Nepal's NHRC.

Carlos Alfonso Negret Mosquera, chairperson of the Global Alliance of NHRIs, also attended the conference.

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