Fighting exploitation of migrant workers in Australia
Gross underpayment, harassments, assaults and unpaid overtime hours. Getting enrolled into the seasonal migrant workers programme in Australia and New Zealand too often become a terrible experience for the migrant workers. The International Labour Organization (ILO), several civil rights organisations and media have reported on the human rights abuses that migrant workers experience at factories and companies in Australia and New Zealand.
Australian Human Rights Commission decided to take action after taking part in the NHRI-EU-project’s blended learning courses run by the Danish Institute for Human Rights. The NHRI-EU project aims to support National Human Rights Institutions to strengthen their role as agents to promote and protect human rights in the changing global context for human rights.
Fear of being deported
The abuses still are not reflected in any legal statistics or legislation and this is a major concern. The migrants are afraid to report abuses due to their fear of being deported or black-listed from their own country. Language and culture is also a barrier for accessibility of information, and migrants often believe that their only choice is to do as they are told. When the workers return home, they rarely report the abuses as few know their rights and which legal institutions to approach. Furthermore, the information about rights and obligations that the migrant workers receive, prior to their departure, is often incomplete.
Creating awareness of workers’ rights
In order to improve the working conditions and inform the migrant workers about their rights, AHRC has now initiated a new project supported by a EU grant managed by the Danish Institute for Human Rights . The project aims to support the capacity building of National Human Rights Institutions from the Pacific, where many of the migrant workers come from, through a specific focus on the rights of migrant workers.
”Migration- and business-related human rights violations are two of the most emerging human rights challenges in Australia and the region today,” says Natasha de Silva, Director at International Engagement, Australian Human Rights Commission.
AHCR involves the Australian government and companies
As part of the project, the AHRC will invite fellow Human Rights Commissions from eight pacific countries to a dialogue where they will develop practical solutions to the Seasonal Migrant Workers programme. The process will be kicked off in April 2018 in Sydney, where representatives from the Australian Government and Australian companies are also invited.
“The action taken by AHCR fulfils the purpose of the NHRI-EU project which is to increase the impact on the promotion and protection of human rights by NHRIs in different human rights related areas. By the end of the project, all participating NHRIs will hopefully fulfil their mandates better in these areas,” says Mads Gottlieb, Project Adviser at the Danish Institute for Human Rights.