Good Practice: Good Practice: Pre-departure Orientation Pre-departure Orientation

ProgramProgramExperience of Experience of

Bangladesh, Philippines and Sri Bangladesh, Philippines and Sri LankaLanka

Presented by: A.K.M. Masud AliINCIDIN Bangladesh20 September 2005

Third Ministerial Consultation on Overseas Employment and Contractual Labour for

Countries of Origin in Asia

20-21 September 2005, Bali Indonesia

Outline of the PresentationOutline of the Presentation

An overview of the added value of An overview of the added value of PDOSPDOSThe institutional and legal The institutional and legal infrastructure within which the infrastructure within which the good practices are identifiedgood practices are identifiedThe elements of good practices in The elements of good practices in PDOS program in Bangladesh, PDOS program in Bangladesh, Philippines and Sri Lanka.Philippines and Sri Lanka.Examples of good practices in PDOSExamples of good practices in PDOSWay ForwardWay Forward

Stages in Processing Stages in Processing MigrationMigrationPre Departure:

Origin

Post Arrival:Destination

Reintegration:Origin

At every stage of migration process access to authentic information is

a precondition to safe migration and it starts at

pre-migration stage…

Pre-Departure Orientation Adds value Pre-Departure Orientation Adds value for allfor all

Origin CountryDestination

CountryIndividual Migrants

Managing migration

Benefit to:

Government

Economy

Migrants

Migrants

Aware on their Responsibilities

With

Enhanced

Capacity for

Integration

Maximize benefit from employment of migrant

labour

Informed decision

regarding safemigration

ReducedVulnerability

EmpowermentOf individual

Migrants

MaximumGain from Migration

The two aspects of PDOS The two aspects of PDOS programprogram

The enabling and supportive The enabling and supportive institutional institutional

and legal infrastructure for safeand legal infrastructure for safeLabour migrationLabour migration

PDOS Program

Institutional and Legal Institutional and Legal SetupsSetups

Mandatory and Enabling Pre-Mandatory and Enabling Pre-departure Registration and departure Registration and

OrientationOrientation:: in Bangladesh (BMET)in Bangladesh (BMET)Philippines (OWWA) Philippines (OWWA) Sri Lanka (SLBFE)Sri Lanka (SLBFE)

In the Philippines, POEA Memorandum Circular No. 3,

Series of 1983 provided guidelines for the conduct of a compulsory PDOS for “all first-time or re-contracted workers,

and every agency is responsible in providing each worker a

thorough PDOS”

Institutional and Legal Institutional and Legal SetupsSetupsInvolvement of private sector and NGOs

Philippines

520 agencies

OWWA

703 private agencies

NGOs

Institutional and Legal Institutional and Legal SetupsSetupsInvolvement of private sector and NGOs

Sri Lanka

Trade Union bodies

SLBFE

Private agencies

NGOs

Institutional and Legal Institutional and Legal SetupsSetupsInvolvement of private sector and NGOs

Bangladesh

NGO-self initiative

BMET

PrivateRecruiting Agencies

BOESL

Institutional and Legal Institutional and Legal SetupsSetupsInvolvement of international

organizations (Philippines)

IOM

Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA)

Gov. of Canada

Power to choose

GRP

Institutional and Legal Institutional and Legal SetupsSetupsInvolvement of international

organizations (Bangladesh and Sri Lanka)

IOM

Pioneer and piloting (90s)PDOS Training Module on

Safe MigrationLanguage Lab

Health awarenessNGO facilitation

Govt.

Indicators of Good PracticeIndicators of Good Practice

Existence of innovative curricula for Existence of innovative curricula for pre-departure programspre-departure programs

Rich content of pre-departure Rich content of pre-departure orientation seminarsorientation seminars

Standardization and certification of Standardization and certification of PDOSPDOS

Special need focused orientation for Special need focused orientation for specific group of migrantsspecific group of migrants

Indicators of Good PracticeIndicators of Good Practice

Information campaigns for Information campaigns for awareness and accountabilityawareness and accountability

Peer and community Peer and community involvement in PDOSinvolvement in PDOS

Enabling migrants to access Enabling migrants to access networks for support and redressnetworks for support and redress

Indicators of Good PracticeIndicators of Good Practice

Gender sensitive and Gender sensitive and empowering processempowering process

Country specific cultural, Country specific cultural, economic and social economic and social orientation/sustainabilityorientation/sustainability

Recent introduction of pre-Recent introduction of pre-employment orientation employment orientation seminars before PDOSseminars before PDOS

PDOS: Indicators of Good PDOS: Indicators of Good PracticePractice

Innovative Curricula for PDOS programes:

Introduction of new skills training to ensure access to new labour markets;

participation in the process of syllabus development, through consultation with

different stakeholders

development of curricula for specific occupations, experience

and destinations

Optimal allocation of timeEmpowerment through the acquisition of knowledge

and skills

PDOS: Example of Good PDOS: Example of Good PracticePractice

Contents of PDOS:

Migrants’ Rights

&Responsibilities

FinanceHealth:HIV/AIDSTravel

Document

WorkplaceSafetyCoping Strategy

RemittanceWorksite

Info.Source of Support

at DestinationFamilyWelfareCultureLanguage

PDOS: Example of Good PDOS: Example of Good PracticePractice

WorksiteInfo.

Migrants’ Rights

Travel Document

Coping Strategy

WorkplaceSafety

Culture

Finance RemittanceFamilyWelfare

LanguageNo single country covers all the topic but the list reflects great potentiality of learning from

each other.

Contents of PDOS:

PDOS: Example of Good PDOS: Example of Good PracticePractice

Pre-employment orientation seminars

(Philippines)• illegal recruitment, list of licensed recruitment agencies, illegal agencies;

• procedures for application departure, on-site employment and return;

• job-site information, including culture of the country of destination;

PDOS: Example of Good PDOS: Example of Good PracticePractice

Pre-employment orientation seminars

• remittances, financial management and livelihood projects, as protection against the insecurity

• of overseas employment insurance coverage for workers and their families.

Presently the policy makers are stressing on pre-employment

orientation as an essential element of pre-migration

preparation.

PDOS: Example of Good PDOS: Example of Good PracticePractice

Enabling Network for Support and Redress

Philippines: Orientation on

Resource Centers

Sri Lanka & Bangladesh:

Stay-facilities at destination

Information on:Embassies in destination countries, on their role in supporting nationals;

Human rights organizations in destination countries;

Migrants’ associations and trade unions in destination countries;

PDOS: Example of Good PDOS: Example of Good PracticePractice

Sustainability

FavourableInstitutional

Structure

Migrants’ Welfare

fund

CoordinatedEffort: GO,NGO, IO,

PS

PDOS: Example of Good PDOS: Example of Good PracticePractice

Gender sensitive policy

Entertainers:COPE in

the Philippines

FemaleHouseholdWorkers

Entertainers: Special legal Protection and

TrainingSri Lanka

PhilippinesBangladesh

Way ForwardWay Forward

Decentralization

Focus on rights

Destination specificity

Breaking away gender stereotype

Focus on Reintegration

The origin and destination countries must come together to ensure

that PDOS is seen as a Comprehensive process to make

Migration safer and beneficial for all.

Thank you and Thank you and Welcome to Welcome to

Discussion…..Discussion…..