The Association of Recruiter License Placement Agencies of Nigeria have stated that Overseas Nigeria workers (ONWs), that is, individuals that left their homes to work abroad to provide comfortable lives for their families should be safeguarded, adding that the Federal Government should safeguard them by enforcing concrete and actionable policies to avoid the potential death sentence of working abroad.
The president of ARLPAN, Rex Bamidele Jacob, in a clarion call to the federal government, spoke on international recruitment in Nigeria as well as issues surrounding the challenges being faced by migrant workers.
Speaking on the 2018 deployment ban, he said since the ban came into effect, there has been many challenges in the international recruitment industry, adding that it is important to understand what is happening and the next step to take to forestall unpalatable occurrences that is becoming the norm in the industry.
He noted that though there are already existing legal frameworks and regulations from the MDAs that will serve as a guide for international recruitment in Nigeria and most especially domestic worker protection, there is a need for reform.
The ARLPAN president further expressed concern about how human trafficking has become a norm in Nigeria with unscrupulous individuals taking over international recruitment in Nigeria, adding that “the reality of the situation is that many of our countrymen who are deployed for oversea employment by unscrupulous individuals that are not regulated and licensed are habitually abused and they face various injustices including being overworked, underpaid, abused, raped and meted worse treatment by foreign employers.
“These individuals are not well informed about the standard operating procedure of international recruitment thus they fail to protect migrant workers who are victims of human trafficking, trapped in abusive households and subjected to physical and sexual violence with no access to justice or a safe route home.
“Some of the women ARLPAN was privileged to intervene in their situations said they had been tricked or deceived by unscrupulous individuals. Some claimed they had been promised jobs in restaurants and hotels in Europe or the US, while others said they believed they had applied for scholarships to study abroad. They said they were then trafficked into domestic work when they arrived in the host country,” he said.
He added that there is a solution to the menace, reiterating that “when the negative things came into full view, solutions were created in order to restore order; emphasising that the ratified IloC190 Decent Work for Domestic Workers, a landmark instrument that recognizes domestic work as work should be emphasized on to build a safe world of work for domestic workers.
“Right to keep their own passports and cell phones as well as not work for more than 10 hours daily with the opportunity to be paid for willing overtime work and not be transferred from one employer to another without the worker’s consent is a must.
“Also, household employee’s salary should be received as at when due and deposited into their bank account; domestic workers should have the most attention, and all international recruiters should follow the standard mode of operation which includes face to face interview, signing of offer letter, and compulsory 21-day training program in their home country,” he said.
ARLPAN emphasised that placing ban on Nigeria Migrant Workers would not provide a permanent solution to the issues surrounding labor migration and it will be difficult and inconsiderate to discourage or ban Nigeria Migrant Workers from going abroad for work because migration is not a crime.
“To promote a better quality of life for Nigeria Migrant Workers (NMWs) government must enact concrete policies aimed at protecting the welfare of Nigeria Migrant Workers, because placing ban would encourage Nigeria Oversea Workers to turn to illicit means and consequently put themselves at risk for human trafficking in their desperation to find jobs abroad.
“We can enter into bilateral agreements but our terms should be clear and unequivocal. If there are violators to such agreements, we have to prioritize the welfare of our overseas Nigeria workers and act at the soonest possible time. Make these violators accountable and liable without concession and pursuant to our laws and international convention
“ARLPAN is calling on all MDAs to take steps to effectively monitor human trafficking and the unscrupulous individuals denting the image of the country must be prosecuted,” Rex noted, tasking members of ARLPAN to always continue to comply with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) while carrying out their business, urging Nigerians seeking oversea employment to verify all details of the offer before embarking on the journey.
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