HÀ NỘI — Women migrant workers face the risk of violence and trafficking, discrimination and insecurity while accessing fair and sustainable employment, and supportive services.

Experts agreed on these points during a conference to launch the project "Safety and Justice: The Rights and Opportunities of Female Migrant Workers in the ASEAN Region in the period of 2018-20," held on Thursday in Hà Nội by the United Nations Office on Gender Equality and Empowerment (UN Women), in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Women migrant workers will have positive experiences and contribute sufficiently when their safety, labour rights and human rights are adequately protected, they noted.

Chang-Hee Lee, director of ILO, said in ASEAN, more women were migrating.

International labour migration has increased in the past few decades to some 10 million people, nearly half the movement being driven by women.

Migration of female workers can be an important source of empowerment for women, as female migrant workers have contributed significantly to economic and social development, emigration and immigration, he said.

He stressed the conference was an opportunity to introduce the project to key stakeholders and identify the specific areas of focus at the national level to ensure the project was in line with national priorities.

Elisa Fernandez, UN Women’s Representative in Việt Nam, said Việt Nam was a source country and not a destination country for labour migration.

At the national level, efforts are needed to assist women access information more effectively and reduce the range of activities and types of violence against women, particularly women migrants, she said.

Việt Nam was one of the first countries to pilot a UN programme on essential services for women and girls suffering from violence at the national level, she added.

During the two-day conference, experts discussed legal and policy priorities, a capacity building approach for partners to implement policies, service support and contact with female migrant workers.

The project is one of the most prominent initiatives of the European Union and the United Nations to eliminate violence against women and girls.

The project provides technical assistance to make labour migration safe and fair for all women in the ASEAN. The project attracts the participation of ASEAN member countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Việt Nam. — VNS