Decision on the 14th item on the agenda: Report of the Director-General

The Governing Body:

(a) approved the report contained in document GB.320/INS/14/8;

(b) requested the Government, in light of the conditions of work that certain migrant workers might face and in order to ensure that they enjoyed the protection provided for in the Convention, to take into account the action requested in paragraphs 45, 46, 47, 48, 51, 53, 56, 57, 58 and 63 of document GB.320/INS/14/8, and in particular:

(i) to review without delay the functioning of the sponsorship system so that the system did not place migrant workers in a situation of increased vulnerability to the imposition of exploitative work from which they could not leave;

(ii) to ensure without delay access to justice for migrant workers, so that they could effectively assert their rights, including by strengthening the complaints mechanism and the labour inspection system, as well as through the empowerment of migrant workers;

(iii) to ensure that adequate penalties were applied for violations relating to forced labour contained in the Penal Code, the Labour Law and Law No. 15 of 2011 on combating trafficking in persons;

(c) invited the Government to provide information on the measures taken to give effect to the recommendations of the committee, including relevant data regarding the number and nature of violations of the relevant legislative framework and the specific penalties applied, for examination by the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations at its next session in November–December 2014;

(d) invited the Government to avail itself of the technical assistance of the International Labour Office to implement these recommendations;

(e) made the report publicly available and closed the procedure initiated by the representation.

(Document GB.320/INS/14/8, paragraph 65.)