28.05.2015
Call for Rights-based
Protection and Justice for All Migrants!
We welcome the humanitarian response of governments who have begun
search and rescue of the Rohingya and Bangladeshi people at sea and offered
them temporary refuge.
Migrants trapped at sea on boats is not a new phenomenon in the
region, neither is the daily reality of the struggles and plight of refugees
and many migrants forced to live in fear and face discrimination, exploitation,
violence and death. Visibility of this long-term problem of brutality rite
large demands both protection and justice.
The latest exposure of mass graves and trafficking camps on the
militarised Thai-Malaysian border has again rendered visible the tragic
consequences of the regional conditions of: inequality and injustice; the
decades-long persecution of Rohingya people and inadequate refugee protection;
systemic corruption; the structural labour demands for trafficked and smuggled
people in our economies (and lifestyles) and beyond; restrictive immigration
policies; and lack of commitment in practice to rights-based labour migration
and protection for low-income workers.
These conditions have allowed the criminal large-scale trafficking
industry to flourish for years, despite being an open secret in the region.
Now is the time for ASEAN member
states to demonstrate the collective political will to convert responsibility
into practice and demonstrate a commitment to the protection and access to
justice of all migrants.
Now is the time for ASEAN to
show solidarity, respect for human rights for all and move beyond rhetoric to
abide with the principle of being people-centred.
We call for action by ASEAN member states, the ASEAN people, and the
International community to:
§
Intensify the search and rescue operations of the women, men and
children whose precious lives remain at risk at sea in overcrowded boats.
§ Monitor, guarantee rights and provide transparency of the human
rights situation of all those who have made it ashore.
Establish an independent oversight committee,
inclusive of civil society.
§ Provide humane treatment and safe open accommodation for all who
have been rescued at sea or from the brutal hands of traffickers.
§ Ensure that family members remain in contact and comply with the
obligation to protect children as per the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child (1989).
§ Provide rights-based protection for all with access to free legal
services and health care - with initial assessments of need by a qualified
professional.
§ Recognise the devastation of sexual violence on women lives: provide
psychosocial support and prosecute perpetrators.
§ Do not send the Rohingya people back to face persecution and death -
Uphold the principle of non-refoulement and respect their agency to escape.
§ Respect the mobility rights, right to life and development of
Bangladeshi people. No deportation without due process.
§ Investigate and ensure justice for all those who died and their
families left behind.
§
Move beyond humanitarian assistance to prevention and justice: No
more repetitions. Develop comprehensive regional binding solutions that address
the long-term conditions responsible for the deaths and devastation of an
untold number of lives over the decades.
We urge the entire ASEAN community to unite and be in solidarity
with these people - Remain vigilant and steadfast in ending these injustices
against migrants.
Rights-based Protection and Justice for All !!!
Kanlungan Centre Foundation, Inc.
77
K-10 Street, East Kamias, Quezon City
Philippines
Website:
www.kanlungan.org
Email:
kanlungan2008@gmail.com
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