2009
• Sri Lanka National Consultation on the GFMD
October 2009

ACTFORM organized a consultation meeting on the 2nd and 3rd of October, 2009 to discuss the Migrant Rights Shadow Report and the upcoming Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD). The meeting focused on three issues; remittances, integration, and reintegration.Some of the proposals made included a formalized/official method for the investment of migrant workers’ income, establishment of new frameworks to allow for Sri Lankan embassies to oversee and deal with employer malpractices abroad, improve government reintegration and counseling services available for returning migrants and raise more awareness of these services, etc.

• Awareness Building Programme
August-September 2009

A series of awareness building programmes were held in Nittambuwan, Puttlam, Mathugama, Horana, Kalutara, Hambantota, Rambukkana and Kandy. They focused on the government's decision to impose restrictions on migration of women with children below 5 years of age and familiarized the participants on the report submitted to MWC by non governmental organizations regarding the protection of rights of migrant workers.

2008
• Second Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)
October 2008

WMC participated in the 2nd GFMD in Manila, Philippines, hosted by the Philippine Government. The theme of the event was "Protecting and Empowering Migrants for Development". The following issues were addressed during the roundtable discussions: 1) Migration, development and human rights, 2) Secure, legal migration can achieve stronger development impacts, and 3) Policy and instituional coherence and partnerships. Click here to see photos.

• Submission of the Migrant Rights NGO Shadow Report titled “The Sri Lanka NGO Shadow Report on the International Convention on the Protection of the rights of all Migrant Workers and their families,” to the Committee on Migrant Workers. The report was prepared by the Action Network for Migrant Workers and The Women and Media Collective.
June 2008

The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families was ratified by Sri Lanka in 1996. This Convention entered into force in 2003. In April 2008 the Sri Lankan Government, as part of its obligation under this Convention submitted the First Periodic Country Report to the Committee on Migrant Workers.

In 2006, the Action Network for Migrant Workers (ACTFORM) and the Women and Media Collective took the initiative to coordinate and prepare the Sri Lanka NGO Shadow Report to be submitted to the Committee on Migrant Workers. Two consultative meetings were held with Government Officials as well as with relevant Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) working on migrant workers’ rights issues to determine what kind of data should be included and brought to the attention of the Committee on Migrant Workers.

In June 2008, the final draft of the NGO Shadow Report was submitted to the Committee on Migrant Workers.

View full report

2007
• NGO Roundtable Meeting to discuss the report on “Abuses against Sri Lankan Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.”
November 2007

The report was presented by Human Rights Watch. This report, based on more than 170 interviews in Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia, documents the violations migrant domestic workers face at every step of the migration process. It also documents how the governments of Sri Lanka and the Middle East fail to protect the more than 125,000 Sri Lankan women who migrate each year to work in the region. The meeting discussed the report findings, advocacy strategies, and collaborative future work in the field.

The meeting was hosted by Human Rights Watch, Women and Media Collective and ACTFORM.
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