Migrant workers - highest forex earners for Lanka
by Thulasi MUTHULINGAM
Sri Lankan Chief of Mission of the International Organization of
Migration (IOM) Richard Danziger commended Sri Lankan migrant workers
for being the highest foreign exchange earners for Sri Lanka.
The IOM Lankan chief made this comment as a prelude to the joint
workshop to be organised by the IOM and the Foreign Employment Ministry
tomorrow.
The IOM workshop will focus on labour migration research and foreign
employment recruitment monitoring.
The event will be held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute and
chaired by Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and
Welfare, Col. Nishanka Wijeratne. The workshop will also focus on the
findings of a recent IOM study 'Foreign Labour Migration Prospects for
Sri Lanka'.
"Sri Lankan migrant workers are the highest foreign exchange earners
for the island. Safeguarding their rights and providing adequate welfare
and protection for them and their family members is a priority of the
Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare and the IOM intends
to support them in achieving these goals," Danziger said.
The Ministry has launched a number of initiatives, including a
proposal to introduce a Migrant Workers' Charter, and a proposal to
increase the minimum age of migrant workers from 18 to 21, as part of a
plan to develop a higher-skilled Sri Lankan overseas labour force.
Another recent initiative is the Bureau of Foreign Employment
(SLBFE)'s new Migrant Resource Centre, which provides regularly updated
information to Sri Lankans interested in working abroad and to their
families.
As part of the Centre's activities, the IOM and SLBFE will organise
10 awareness-raising seminars across the island and producing and
distributing a video and handbook on safe migration and guidance on how
best to prepare for employment overseas.
As part of the ongoing cooperation between the Government and IOM,
Government representatives will be attending the IOM-organised Regional
Conference and Market Place for Labour Migration in Jaipur, India later
this month. Representatives from the governments of India, Bangladesh
and several European countries will also attend the event.
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