Information Centre for Labour Migrants in Tajikistan marks first quarter of activity
(OSCE/Lubomir Kotek)The Dushanbe OSCE-IOM Information Center for Labour Migrants answers to a real need in Tajikistan, where migration is the only option for several hundred thousand workers to sustain their families. (OSCE/Lubomir Kotek) Photo details
DUSHANBE, 27 April 2004 - An agreement formalizing the establishment of an information centre for migrant workers was signed today in Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe.
The Information Centre for Labour Migrants, a joint project by the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe and the International Organization for Migration's Mission to Tajikistan, aims at providing migrant workers with legal assistance before their departure and to inform them about the risks they are taking regarding their legal status in the host country.
"The new Centre answers to a real need in Tajikistan, where migration is the only option for several hundreds of thousand workers to sustain their families," said Ambassador Yves Bargain, Head of the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe. "In many cases, Tajik migrant workers are not aware of the immigration regulations of the country of destination, the working conditions there or their rights and obligations."
Frederic Chenais, the Head of the IOM Mission, stressed the benefits of migration for Tajikistan's economy. "Tajik migrant workers acquire new skills, make new contacts, and send significant incomes to their families," he said at the signing ceremony, which was also attended by the Tajik Minister of Labour, Mahmadsho Ilolov, representatives of Tajik non-governmental organizations and the media as well as members of international organizations.
Since it first opened its doors in January, some 500 people have already visited the Centre in order to ask for advice regarding violations of migrant workers' rights by firms that employ them in the receiving country, and the procedures to comply with in order to obtain legal status.
The Centre, which works in close co-operation with the Tajik Ministry of Labour, has also held several training sessions and provided advice to the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe on how to further develop initiatives on labour migration questions.
The Information Centre for Labour Migrants, a joint project by the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe and the International Organization for Migration's Mission to Tajikistan, aims at providing migrant workers with legal assistance before their departure and to inform them about the risks they are taking regarding their legal status in the host country.
"The new Centre answers to a real need in Tajikistan, where migration is the only option for several hundreds of thousand workers to sustain their families," said Ambassador Yves Bargain, Head of the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe. "In many cases, Tajik migrant workers are not aware of the immigration regulations of the country of destination, the working conditions there or their rights and obligations."
Frederic Chenais, the Head of the IOM Mission, stressed the benefits of migration for Tajikistan's economy. "Tajik migrant workers acquire new skills, make new contacts, and send significant incomes to their families," he said at the signing ceremony, which was also attended by the Tajik Minister of Labour, Mahmadsho Ilolov, representatives of Tajik non-governmental organizations and the media as well as members of international organizations.
Since it first opened its doors in January, some 500 people have already visited the Centre in order to ask for advice regarding violations of migrant workers' rights by firms that employ them in the receiving country, and the procedures to comply with in order to obtain legal status.
The Centre, which works in close co-operation with the Tajik Ministry of Labour, has also held several training sessions and provided advice to the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe on how to further develop initiatives on labour migration questions.