OSCE-supported Helsinki seminar seeks to address gender gap in labour migration policies

HELSINKI, 15 April 2010 - Raising awareness of the challenges faced by female migrants and the need for appropriate policy responses, is the focus of an OSCE-supported training seminar which started in Helsinki today.

The two-day training event was organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities in co-operation with the Finnish Government, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Council of Europe. Government officials and policymakers from the Nordic, Baltic and Western CIS countries are taking part.

"Little policy attention is paid to the challenges female migrants face, in spite of the fact that about half of all migrants are women, and an increasing number of them are labour migrants," said Alexey Stukalo, the Deputy Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, opening the seminar.

"The contribution of female labour migrants to socio-economic development is not sufficiently acknowledged in migration policies and programmes in the OSCE region. This seminar aims to address this gap - improving the situation of female labour migrants will indirectly contribute to the security and stability in the OSCE region, through increased remittances and investments, as well as improved living standards."

The seminar is based on the OSCE Guide on Gender-Sensitive Labour Migration Policies, and on the newly-produced Trainer's Manual on Gender and Labour Migration. According to IOM, labour migration is generally defined as a cross-border movement for purposes of employment in a foreign country.

The event is aimed at mid-level government officials and policymakers dealing with labour migration policy analysis, development, review and implementation, as well as for experts and advisers to parliamentary committees and representatives of labour unions, employers' organizations and migrant associations. The training is built around group discussions and case studies to make it as participatory and interactive as possible.

"The OSCE Guide has given us a good reference tool and improved our understanding of the different challenges faced by female migrant workers in the OSCE region" said Tutta Tuomainen, the head of the immigration division of the Finnish Immigration Service. "With the Trainer's Manual we are quite well equipped to closely examine different opportunities and practices to develop more gender-sensitive policies that benefit both the migrant and our countries."