Network established in Cambodia on protection of women and men migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sector.

Ship to Shore Rights SEA coordinated the first network meeting on migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sector on 18 January 2022 among institutions who have expertise and experience in supporting migrants in the industry. The network aims to strengthen knowledge sharing on current developments, expand ongoing cooperation among civil society organizations, government and employers’ and workers’ organizations and identify areas for collective action to strengthen safe migration and decent work for migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors. Several network members noted the limited livelihood support provided to return migrant workers in Cambodia, many of whom plan to remigrate to Thailand due to the lack of local employment opportunities. It was noted that increased support for migrant workers returning from the fishing and seafood processing is particularly needed due to their high vulnerability to abuse, lack of regular legal channels for migration and insufficient legal assistance services available in the sectors. Several collective actions were proposed, including the development of an MOU between Cambodia and Thailand on the recruitment of migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors and specific safe migration informational materials for migrant workers in these industries.