10th ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour

The Forum is convened and hosted by the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment with the support of the ASEAN Secretariat, ILO, IOM, UN Women and the Taskforce on ASEAN Migrant Workers.

Provisions under labour laws do not apply to domestic workers in most ASEAN Member States. It is time for all ASEAN governments to recognize domestic work as work and ensure that their laws and policies provide the same protection as all other workers.
The 10th AFML will be held on 25–26 October 2017 in the Philippines. It will be hosted by the Government of the Philippines as the current chair of ASEAN and the ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (ACMW).

The 10th AFML, with the theme “Towards Achieving Decent Work for Domestic Workers in ASEAN”, is being organized to support the implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (Cebu Declaration). The 10th AFML aims to:
(a) share stakeholder experiences, challenges, and good practices in the implementation of Recommendations from previous AFMLs, with a focus on the 9th AFML;
(b) sustain momentum in the efforts to protect the rights and promote the welfare of domestic workers in view of the adoption of ILO Domestic Workers Convention2011 (No. 189);
(c) take stock of the existing government policies and programmes, as well as initiatives of social partners among workers, employers, and civil society for the protection of domestic workers in the ASEAN region;
(d) identify measures to strengthen protection of migrant workers, particularly domestic workers in the ASEAN region; and
(e) adopt Recommendations to ensure decent work for domestic workers.

The 10th AFML theme “Towards Achieving Decent Work for Domestic Workers in ASEAN” covers two thematic sessions, which also form the basis of this paper:
  • Theme 1: International and national standards for the protection of migrant domestic workers
  • Theme 2: Implementation of policies and support services