Ratification of ICRMW toward the ILO Conventions amid COVID-19 in Thailand

Abstract

Globalization has opened the avenues for the world to come together and attain sustainable growth. Migrant workers are a lifeline for several countries' labour forces and productivity. However, in Thailand, the rights of these migrants are restricted due to the non-ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Family Members (ICRMW). This research explores and analyzes various factors essentially responsible for the ratification of ICRMW in Thailand. The methodology adopted is the mixed method. The collected data were analyzed based on a socio-legal approach, with qualitative and quantitative tools and techniques combined: the strength, weakness, opportunity, and threats (SWOT) technique was integrated into the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) (SWOT-AHP). The findings suggest that Thailand has not yet ratified the ICRMW conventions, including ILO C-87 and ILO C-98, thus depriving migrant workers of protection. They are not protected by national law and are not entitled to equal protection as nationals: for instance, foreign workers are forbidden from migrating to the established labour unions and enjoying medical benefits and salaries. All these must be consistent with the conventions, particularly the Labor Protection Act, B.E. 2541 (1998) and the Labor Relations Act B.E. 2518 (1998). The novelty of this research is the analysis of the domestic and international laws in the Thai context, which depicts the need for ratification of ICRMW to protect migrant workers and their families. The findings can pave the way for similar future research in other ASEAN member countries. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2022-SPER-014 Full Text: PDF

Factors Influencing the Risk Aversion in Vietnam: The Mediating Role of the Intention to Prevent COVID-19

“…To control COVID-19, individuals must intend to prevent and fight against it. The intention to prevent COVID-19 refers to the public's adoption of preventive measures to control the spread of the disease [19].…”

Struggling, Forgotten, and Under Pressure: A Scoping Review of Experiences of Sex Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Nearly all studies across the world reported on the reduction in work and income for individuals involved in sex work during the COVID-19 pandemic (Aantjes et al, 2023;Azam et al, 2021;Burgos & Del Pino, 2021;Cabras & Ingrasci, 2022;Callander et al, 2022;Chakrapani et al, 2022;Fedorkó et al, 2022;Gbagbo, 2020;Hassan et al, 2023;Judge & Jackson, 2023;Kahambing, 2021;Kavanagh et al, 2021;Laikram & Pathak, 2021;Leyva-Moral et al, 2023;Lamontagne et al, 2022;Machingura et al, 2021;Magnani et al, 2022;Mantell et al, 2021;Matambanadzo et al, 2021;Mlambo & Masuku, 2022;Moura et al, 2022;Museva et al, 2021;Nyabeze et al, 2022;Pearson et al, 2022;Pereira, 2021;Pollard et al, 2021;Richterman et al, 2022;Santos et al, 2022;Shankar et al, 2022;Shekhar, 2023;Singer et al, 2020;Su & Valiquette, 2022;Tan et al, 2021aTan et al, , 2021bTran et al, 2022;Wang et al, 2022;Wirawan et al, 2022).…”

“…Reduced work and subsequent reduced income left sex workers in many studies across the world facing housing insecurity (Benoit & Unsworth, 2022;Burgos & Del Pino, 2021;Cabras & Ingrasci, 2022;Callander et al, 2022;Dziuban et al, 2021;Gichuna et al, 2020;Hassan et al, 2023;Laikram & Pathak, 2021;Lamontagne et al, 2022;Leyva-Moral et al, 2023;Moura et al, 2022;Pollard et al, 2021;Rogers et al, 2021;Tan et al, 2021aTan et al, , 2021bTran et al, 2022). Housing was threatened not only by lost income but by the loss of access to motels and short-term rentals (Callander et al, 2022) suggesting the pandemic may have disproportionately affected those of low socioeconomic status who were in unstable housing.…”

“…Sex workers across almost all studies reported needing to resume sex work while lockdown restrictions were still in place due to financial pressures. In addition to struggling to pay for housing and food, many were already in debt and could not afford to lose more (Burgos & Del Pino, 2021); sex workers with children had additional costs associated with education and online schooling such as wi-fi, laptops and tablets to enable their children to learn remotely (Dziuban et al, 2021;Hassan et al, 2023;Laikram & Pathak, 2021;Shekhar, 2023); migrant workers often had families in their home countries they sent money to (Burgos & Del Pino, 2021;Gonzalez & Garrido, 2022;Kahambing, 2021); and migrant workers who traveled to their homes during lockdown and then returned had costs associated with quarantine on their arrival back to the countries they worked in (Dziuban et al, 2021). In a study from Thailand, Laikram and Pathak (2021) found that those who identified as "other" gender as opposed to cisgender male or female were the most affected economically, for a number of reasons-they typically experienced lower demand and lower pay even pre-pandemic; they faced tough competition among themselves; and they often had more expenses such as beauty surgery, make-up, and expensive attire and accessories.…”

“…Most of the sex workers in Tran et al's (2022) study from Vietnam reported feeling they were not capable of anything other than menial non-sex-related jobs, stating they did not have the capacity to learn new skills or good enough health to work manual non-sex jobs. Participants in Hassan et al's (2023) Kenyan study reported that they were discriminated against for being sex workers and did not get hired for cleaning jobs in their neighborhoods because of their sex worker status; similarly, Laikram and Pathak's (2021) participants in Thailand reported loss of non-sex work employment opportunities due to discrimination from their communities.…”