Her Excellency Rev Dr Princess Ocansey shares 7 game changing keys for peace and prosperity for migrant women in GCC

Decent jobs for migrant women engaged in circular migration has one of the highest potentials to provide economic empowerment for migrant women – especially those from developing countries- for the good life of peace, security and prosperity.

In 2014, a record setting $436 Billion of remittances was sent - from both migrant men and migrant women - as remittances to developing countries (according to the World Bank), being a major leap from USD406 in 2012.

In 2012, this represented two to three times the size of official development assistance for many developing countries - making overseas work an opportunity for an unprecedented economic gain for many families, especially in developing countries. 
Women, taking an equitable share of this market, could be a game changer – not only for the women, but also for their families as well as their nations of origin in terms of peace, security and prosperity.

Unfortunately, there are many horror migration exploitation stories surrounding women working overseas. Many migrant women fall victims to unscrupulous and unlicensed agents and end up being abused. Some suffer silently as they cannot afford to lose even the abusive jobs due to high debt in migration or responsibilities and or family members relying on their remittances back in their home countries.

Yet, safe and legal migration can provide decent jobs for women to enable inclusive, equitable, leapfrogging economic opportunities for both families and nations as well as human development for countries of origin and destination. According to the Secretary-General’s Report on Violence against women migrant workers, submitted to the 68th General Assembly, many women migrant workers face discrimination, violence and exploitation at all stages of migration.

However, there are also many success stories from well-designed Migration models such as from SOS Labour and Channels of Blessings Ghana - which must be studied to provide best practices and lessons learned to increase and improve migration for the benefit of more women from developing nations. These positive stories also need to be told just as much as the negative - and relevant stakeholders must work together to fight the root causes of the negatives and push the agenda to create systems and programs that facilitate and promote positive legal migration. 

Here are 7 keys to enhancing the economic empowerment of women towards inclusive legal migration and decent jobs for migrant women for peace, security and prosperity:

1. Increase Migrant Women’s Advocacy and Awareness-Raising programs: There must be more women’s advocacy and awareness-raising on licensed agencies that provide genuine decent jobs for women and legal channels in the country of origin which women may use for legal migration - especially agencies that have proven track records of labour rights protection for women migrant workers. 

2. Ratify Government to Government Women-Sensitive Bilateral Labour MOU’s: Governments of both sending and receiving countries must take joint responsibility-paying a special attention to women migrants – which must be reflected in a Bilateral Labour Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – to provide a women-sensitive legal migration framework for safe and equitable migration to provide decent jobs for women.

3. Governments Develop Women’s Human Rights Sensitive Foreign Employment Policy 
Governments must develop and implement a foreign employment policy that recognizes and protects the rights of women migrant workers as well as support advocacy for national economic and social policies and legislation - capacity building and information flow must be supported by Government to women’s organizations. 

4. Governments Must Implement, Monitor and Evaluate Foreign Employment Policies Governments must not only ensure these policies are duly implemented, but they must also be monitored and evaluated and continuously improved upon. There are key gaps that persist in the implementation of Bilateral Labour Agreements – the agreements must include key women-sensitive measures to specifically tackle discrimination and violence against women migrant workers. 

5. Receiving Countries Can Support Education and Training for Key Low Skilled Rural Women -. Many poor rural women are unable to afford the pre-requisite training required to enable them to succeed in the decent jobs provided for them. Many times this incompetence becomes an underlying cause of abuse for many women. Receiving countries can contribute to the training of selected and visa holding domestic workers especially, and other low-mid skilled women, to ensure they are provided with key information and skills prior to migration.

6. Governments Can facilitate Re-Integration Programs for Migrant Women Governments can provide or facilitate re-integration programs for a smooth resettlement for women participating in circular migration programs especially – as it continues to be a more popular form of migration for women, helping them maintain family ties. 

7. Financial Institutions can Support Economic Empowerment of Women through Financial Products for Women Migrants 
Circular legal migration boosts women’s economic empowerment by encouraging women to own a bank account and opening the door for them to have access to financial services. Financially secure women are less likely to fall victims to exploitation and abuse.

The implementation of these 7 keys will surely usher in a Golden Age of peace, security and prosperity for Women Migrants, especially those from developing countries.

Princess Ocansey is the 2015 Global Champion for Peace and Integrity through Legal migration award recipient in Dubai

HE Rev. Dr. Ocansey
Nekotech Center