BANGKOK (ILO News) - On 20 September 2022, H.E. Will Nankervis, Australian Ambassador to ASEAN visited the Cambodia Labour Confederation (CLC) in Prey Veng province, Cambodia.

With support from the TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme, CLC operates a Migrant Worker Resource Centre (MRC) in Prey Veng to provide direct services to migrant workers and their communities. TRIANGLE in ASEAN is an Australian Government initiative delivered in partnership with the Government of Canada that promotes safe and fair migration within ASEAN, ensuring benefits are realised by migrant workers, employers and governments. During the visit, Ambassador Nankervis met with the team at CLC who shared their experiences in providing gender-sensitive counselling, outreach and legal assistance to migrant workers. CLC highlighted the importance of protecting the rights of migrant workers and ensuring migrants have access to legal support, referral mechanisms, financial literacy and vocational training services, as well as return and reintegration services.

Ambassador Nankervis also accompanied the CLC MRC team on a regular outreach visit to a local community of outgoing and returned migrant workers. These outreach visits aim to provide labour migrants’ communities with information on safe migration and the Cambodian migrant complaints mechanism, as well as provide an opportunity for prospective migrant workers to ask questions about migrating overseas for work. During the visit, migrant workers shared their experiences with Ambassador Nankervis, who in turn expressed Australia’s strong commitment to support the protection and promotion of migrant workers’ rights in ASEAN through TRIANGLE in ASEAN.

TRIANGLE in ASEAN (2015-27) is a partnership between the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and the ILO, with the overall goal of maximising the contribution of labour migration to equitable, inclusive and stable growth in ASEAN.

TRIANGLE in ASEAN provides direct services to migrant workers and their communities through a network of 24 Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs) in 20 locations across six ASEAN member states. MRC services are delivered through partnerships with government institutions, trade unions and civil society organizations, and provide a range of services, including counselling, training and legal assistance.

MRCs provide a space for workers to find information on migrating for work, ask questions, and lodge legal complaints. Counselling is provided at the MRCs through outreach activities, meetings, online and over the phone. Information is also disseminated through broadcasts on local radio and television, job fairs, and seminars on safe migration in schools, vocational training centres and in the community. By the end of 2021, these MRCs had provided individualised services to more than 190,000 migrant workers and helped secure USD 10.9 million in compensation for legal claims for exploited migrant workers.