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Praise for migrant workers' contribution

By E. Weerapperuma

Sri Lanka is one of the largest migrant worker sending countries in the world. There are about 850,000 Sri Lankan workers mainly in the Middle East. Out of these almost 181,370 had left the country legally for employment abroad in the year 2002, said His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Kingsley Swampillai, Chairman of the Catholic National Commission for Migrants (CNCM).

Addressing a seminar on Migration on Friday (March 7) held at the Auditorium of the Aquinas College of Higher Studies at Borella, Colombo, organised by the Stella Maris, International Centre, Colombo and with Rt. Rev. Archbishop Stephen Fumio Hamao, President of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Tourism as Chief Guest, Bishop Swampillai said that " people, especially women and unskilled workers were forced to migrate due to abject poverty in the country".

He added that according to the studies by the social alert indicated that the typical age level of the migrant maids were between the age group of 18 to 40 and most of them were unskilled domestic workers.

In 1986 women unskilled migrant workers of Sri Lanka were only 33 per cent of the total migrants but by the year 2000, it had increased to 67 per cent and among the female migrants 93 per cent were domestic workers.

Bishop Swampillai also pointed out that "in contrast- remittances of migrant workers were the second largest (21 per cent) foreign exchange earner in the year 2000." Speaking further His Lordship brought to the notice of the audience another type of migrants; Refugees, asylum seekers who fled for safety and security from threats of war. "These are found in all European countries, in the UK, Canada and USA. A recent survey puts the figure at about 500,000 refugees out of whom 200,000 are in India living for the past 10 to 15 years.

Among other problems, he said there was the process of resettlement and rehabilitation. Some of the refugees are clandestine migrants whose future is beset with many problems. These are linked inexorably with the country's peace process which will be the last hope for permanent settlement of these people.

His Lordship further said that the migrant people of various categories needed to be supported by the government of the sending and receiving countries and by the Church and other volunteer organizations.

"The newly established National Commission for Migration will undoubtedly come to their help and said that the Church was able to set up the new Commission in Sri Lanka due to the support given by the ICMC Geneva." In His address Archbishop Stephen Fumio Hamao, President of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Tourism said that the Church was conscious of the grave responsibility in helping the migrants.

William (Bill) Canny Secretary General of the International Catholic Migrant Commission (ICMC), Geneva congratulated the Sri Lanka Government for signing the International Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and becoming one of the first few countries to do so.

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