Promoting Safe Migration for Temporary Migrants to Thailand

This project will be implemented by a consortium of seven partners. The implementing agency and lead partner are the Institute of Population and Social Research (IPSR), Mahidol University. Partners in Thailand are: Migrant Working Network, Friends International, and World Vision. In Cambodia the partner is Analyzing Development Initiatives Center (ADIC); In Myanmar the partner is Enlightened Myanmar; in Lao PDR the partner is National Lao University.The research team sees the importance of the involving organizations such as the Ministry of Foreign Affair, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Public Health and ROK etc., who play leading roles in this matter. We have designed the research to involve all parties in all research process including meetings with migrants, NGOs, and local authorities to discuss and contribute to the recommendations that shall be useful for all parties. Mekong Institute will play the role of co-chair of the Project Steering Committee and support Project Implement Agency (PIA) to monitor progress and assess results and outcomes. Activities will include: supporting Cambodian, Myanmese, and Lao migrants to form or to make known the existing self-help and advocacy groups, and link to bigger networks of similar purpose to support each other on issues such as legal aspects, rights and protection, procedures of the Ministry of Labour, procedures of the immigration officers, access to health services; needs assessment and information gaps of migrants; identifying barriers to regularization and strategies to overcome the barriers; research on perspectives of migrants’ children and families in places of origin; assessment of pre-departure systems of support in origin country and role of the Embassy in Bangkok, and document best or safer practices of border crossing and securing jobs in Thailand.To deliver on the project’s objective, there are six groups of activities. They are:·        Activity 1:  Literature review of existing datasets of quantitative surveys of migrants in Thailand In-depth interviews with migrants and migrant families in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos·        Activity 2: Establishing migrant self-help support groups in Thailand and countries of origin and delivery of training, awareness-raising and capacity –building programmes·        Activity 3: In-depth interviews with brokers·        Activity 4: In-depth interviews with employers·        Activity 5: In-depth interviews with government officials Activity 6: Oversight of project: Reference Group & Project Steering Committee Read more...