Ship to Shore Rights

Access to justice expanded for migrant fishing and seafood processing workers in Cambodia

The International Labour Organization (ILO) delivers training to key stakeholders on resolution of migrant workers' grievances in Banteay Meanchey, Koh Kong and Pursat provinces.

Press release | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | 01 May 2023
A fisher at work. © John Hulme
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (ILO News) – Cambodian government officials, trade unions and civil society organizations have gained a better understanding of dispute resolution for migrant worker complaints following a recent training initiative.

Delivered in partnership between the ILO Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia programme, the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and Legal Support for Children and Women, the training will expand access to justice and remedies for migrant workers and their families experiencing labour rights abuses, including those employed in the fishing and seafood processing sectors. It focuses on three key target provinces for migration in Cambodia: Banteay Meanchey, Koh Kong and Pursat.

This series of trainings provides an excellent opportunity for key stakeholders at provincial level to better understand the dispute resolution process for Cambodian migrant workers."

His Excellency Hou Vudthy, Secretary of State, Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training

His Excellency Hou Vudthy, Secretary of State, Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training said, “This series of trainings provides an excellent opportunity for key stakeholders at provincial level to better understand the dispute resolution process for Cambodian migrant workers. A lot of progress has been made in putting in place responsive mechanisms to resolve their grievances in Cambodia. However, we know that there is more work to do in ensuring effective enforcement so that migrants have practical access to redress.”

United Nations data suggests that there are more than 1.1 million Cambodian migrants working abroad, and thousands more are known to be employed precariously without legal status. Many of these migrant workers are employed in essential jobs, including in the fishing and seafood processing sectors. But in spite of their importance to the economic and social dynamism of South East Asia, it is well-documented that a large portion of Cambodian migrant workers experience labour rights abuses.

In his opening remarks at the training workshop in Pursat province, ILO National Coordinator Sophorn Tun said, “Within key destination countries, major decent work deficits remain for Cambodian migrant workers employed in the fishing and seafood processing sectors. Recent research by the ILO showed some improvements in working conditions for migrant fishers and seafood processing workers. However, severe labour rights abuses have also been found to persist, such as contract substitution, retention of identification documents, debt bondage, excessive working hours, wage theft, violence and harassment and forced labour.”

Cambodia has a taken a number of important steps forward in recent years in developing its labour migration policy framework, including the establishment of a complaint mechanism managed by the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and its provincial departments. Nevertheless, enduring challenges impeding migrant workers’ ability to lodge and resolve complaints for labour rights abuses have been identified and require further efforts to expand access to justice. In particular, there are capacity limitations to effectively manage dispute resolution procedures in some provinces, leaving migrants unable to obtain fair remedies – including sufficient financial compensation.

Under the EU-funded Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia programme, the ILO is providing assistance to these workers so that they are better able to migrate safely and obtain decent work in the fishing and seafood processing sectors. A key gap remaining in improving the working conditions of migrants is ensuring that responsive complaint mechanisms are available to provide them with access to justice for their grievances. Utilizing the Dispute Resolution Guidelines developed by the ILO, the training equips Migrant Worker Resource Centres and other key stakeholders with the knowledge and skills to effectively assist migrant workers in cases of abuse.

Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia Programme is a multi-country, multi-annual initiative of the European Union and the United Nations, implemented by the International Labour Organization in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Development Programme.

The programme delivers technical assistance and support with the overall objective of promoting safe and regular labour migration among South East Asian countries. The programme addresses the specific characteristics of work in the fishing and seafood processing sectors as well as the barriers and risks present in the migration system, which can lead to unsafe migration, decent work deficits, abuse and trafficking for forced labour.

More information on Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia can be found at www.shiptoshorerights.org.

For further information please contact:

Sok Sambo
National Programme Coordinator Cambodia
Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia Programme
ILO Joint Project Office
Email: Sok@ilo.org

Benjamin Harkins
Technical Officer
Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia Programme
ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Email: harkins@ilo.org