Empowering migrant workers: promoting rights and access to health and justice

About the project

Migrant workers in Maldives often experience unsafe work conditions, sometimes resulting in accidents or fatalities. Their access to healthcare is limited due to systemic discrimination, language barriers, financial difficulties and lack of valid documentation. These challenges are further compounded by the workers’ lack of awareness of their legal rights and protections available to them, including those provided under the recently enacted Occupational Health and Safety Act that addresses workplace-related accidents and deaths. The Act requires employers to implement workplace safety standards and mandates compensation for harm resulting from workplace related accidents and deaths. 

Project partner, Transparency Maldives, will advocate for systemic reforms by building on the momentum generated by the new legislation to advance health justice for migrant workers with respect to compensation for workplace-related injuries and fatalities. 

This will be achieved by:

• training groups of workers on migrant rights, legal protections available to migrants, and available grievance mechanisms on accessing healthcare
• conducting a public awareness campaign to educate the broader public on workers’ rights and promote occupational health and safety standards
• organising a national art and photo exhibition to showcase the lived experiences and conditions of migrant workers
• facilitating dialogue with government and non-governmental stakeholders to raise awareness of the challenges faced by migrant workers, and advocate for policy recommendations and reforms. 

The project will also work with Maldivian Red Crescent, civil society organisations, Ministry of Health, Health Protection Agency, Human Rights Commission of Maldives, Labour Relations Authority, Anti-Corruption Commission and groups of migrant workers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Philippines and Sri Lanka.

As a result of this project, it is hoped that migrant workers experience a safer workplace with improved protections and more equitable access to healthcare.