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FROM THE FIELD

Thailand: Registration Project to Improve Legal Status for Myanmar Refugees
22 Jul 2009 14:40:00 GMT
 Source: Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International
Nadia McGill

Website: Website: http://www.adra.org

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Photo Credit: Hearly Mayr/ADRA International
SILVER SPRING, Md.--In Thailand, hundreds of thousands of Myanmar refugees, many of them women, who live near the Thai-Burmese border lack access to government supplied healthcare and other basic services because they are unaware of their need to apply for government registration or do not understand how to access it. This often leads to marginalization, discrimination and even abuse of the most vulnerable, says the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

"Unregistered workers are viewed as less valuable, and are often more vulnerable to abuse by employers, who force them to work in poor conditions, resulting, at times, in bonded labor and reduced wages," said Bert Smit, country director for ADRA United Kingdom.

To assist migrant women who have become vulnerable due to displacement, ADRA is launching a registration project that will help migrant women understand their legal rights so they may obtain registration documentation. This will in turn give them better access to basic health care, improved working conditions and fair compensation.

ADRA plans to also build the capacities of local grassroots civil society organizations (CSOs), who will advocate for and protect the rights of migrant women. ADRA expects to use existing migrant rights advocacy networks to influence change and reinforce existing migrant protection policies. Additionally, ADRA will work with employers, health care institutions, and the government to increase the recognition and enforcement of migrant women's rights.

The project, valued at $905,871, will begin August 1 and is expected to continue for nearly five years. The Department for International Development (DFID), ADRA Norway, and ADRA United Kingdom are funding this project in partnership.

Recent reports indicate that there are more than 140,000 Myanmar refugees registered in camps inside Thailand along the Thai-Burmese border, however, according to Refugees International, up to 2 million other Myanmar migrants have also fled to Thailand, and continue to reside there, without legal status or with temporary migrant worker status. Few have been able to receive the assistance and protection they deserve and need.

Many of the migrant women are also confronted with language and cultural barriers, that often precludes them from adequate reproductive health information and services.

Due to its proximity to the Myanmar border, Thailand's eastern Tak Province hosts thousands of refugees each year who are fleeing violence in their home country. According to ADRA United Kingdom, there are an estimated 60,000 registered refugees and some 150,000 unregistered Myanmar workers living in Thailand, of which half are women.

More information about this project is available at www.adrauk.org.

ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

For more information, visit www.adra.org.


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Last updated:Wed Jul 22 14:46:41 2009