The event aims to generate a broader discussion on how to go beyond tolerance and embrace the friendship and contributions migrants bring to society, say MMN. Hulme has documented the social exclusion many migrants face, including the challenges of reintegrating into society on returning to their home countries. I’ve been documenting the plight of migrant workers for more than 10 years and have seen first-hand the conditions of life facing migrant workers who have left their homes and families to earn money for a better life, he told The Myanmar Times. Documentary photography is a way of exposing disturbing scenes which can raise awareness of things such as poverty, inequality and famine, which may assist in reshaping public opinion with the possibility of influencing government policies which are often the direct cause of such hardship, he added. In the opening event, deputy director Daw May Thu Nyo of the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, chief technical adviser Jackie Pollock of the International Labour Organization, Amyotha Hluttaw MP U Kyaw Htwe, Daw Thet Thet Aung of the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society, Sopheap Suong of the Cambodia Women’s Crisis Centre, and returning Myanmar migrant Daw Thiri will discuss the issue of enhancing social inclusion among migrant returnees in Myanmar. Both origin and host countries have a win-win situation because of migrant workers, whose remittances flow back to the origin country. In the host countries, the workers do the jobs that their citizens don’t want. We shouldn’t neglect them, said Daw Thet Thet Aung, adding that she will speak about education, social status, ID cards and health of Myanmar migrant workers, for which Thailand and Japan are the main host countries. Daw Thiri, 33, will speak of her experience with Myanmar employment agencies Htay Service and Myanmar Express Link, both of which she is suing for breach of contract. She is also trying to sue the Japanese agents. The exhibition was also held on October 8 in Bangkok and October 21 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The situation confronting migrants is of course not solely a Southeast Asian phenomenon, but a global crisis and that’s why I believe people are showing concern, said Hulme. MMN is a civil society organisation that promotes the human rights of all migrants in the Mekong region, where millions of migrant workers are employed in agriculture, fisheries, construction, factories, domestic work and mining.
2016 The Myanmar Times.