Third Ministerial Consultation on Overseas
Employment and Contractual Labour for Countries
of Origin in Asia
20-21 September 2005, Bali Indonesia
Good Practice:
Pre-departure Orientation Program
Experience of
Bangladesh, Philippines and Sri Lanka
Presented by: A.K.M. Masud Ali
INCIDIN Bangladesh
20 September 2005
Outline of the Presentation
An overview of the added value of PDOS
The institutional and legal infrastructure
within which the good practices are
identified
The elements of good practices in PDOS
program in Bangladesh, Philippines and
Sri Lanka.
Examples of good practices in PDOS
Way Forward
Stages in Processing Migration
Pre Departure:
At every stage
of
migration
Origin
process access to authentic
information is a precondition
Reintegration:
to
safe migration and it starts
Origin
at pre-migrationPost
stage…
Arrival:
Destination
Pre-Departure Orientation Adds value for all
Migrants
Benefit
to:
Maximize
benefit
from
Government
Maximum
migration
With
Empowerment
Gain from
employment
Of individual
Informed
Enhanced
Migration
Economy
Migrants
decision
of migrant
Capacity
for
regarding
safe
Destination
labour
migration
Migrants
Individual
Integration
Origin
Country
Country
Migrants
Reduced
Aware
on their
Managing
Responsibilities
Vulnerability
The two aspects of PDOS program
PDOS Program
The enabling and supportive
institutional
and legal infrastructure for safe
Labour migration
Institutional and Legal Setups
Mandatory and Enabling Predeparture Registration and
Orientation:
In
the
Philippines,
POEA
Memorandum
in Bangladesh (BMET)
Circular No. 3, Series of 1983 provided
Philippines (OWWA)
guidelines for the conduct of a
compulsory
Sri Lanka (SLBFE)
PDOS for “all first-time or
re-contracted workers, and every
agency is responsible in providing
each worker a thorough PDOS”
Institutional and Legal Setups
Involvement of private sector and
NGOs
520 agencies
OWWA
Philippines
703 private agencies
NGOs
Institutional and Legal Setups
Involvement of private sector and
NGOs
Trade Union bodies
SLBFE
Sri Lanka
Private agencies
NGOs
Institutional and Legal Setups
Involvement of private sector and
NGOs
NGO-self initiative
BMET
Bangladesh
Private
Recruiting Agencies
BOESL
Institutional and Legal Setups
Involvement of international
organizations (Philippines)
Canadian Orientation
Abroad (COA)
Gov. of
Canada
IOM
Power to choose
GRP
Institutional and Legal Setups
Involvement of international
organizations
(Bangladesh and Sri Lanka)
Govt.
IOM
Pioneer and piloting (90s)
PDOS Training Module on
Safe Migration
Language Lab
Health awareness
NGO facilitation
Indicators of Good Practice
Existence of innovative curricula for predeparture programs
 Rich content of pre-departure orientation
seminars
 Standardization and certification of PDOS
 Special need focused orientation for
specific group of migrants

Indicators of Good Practice
 Information
campaigns for awareness
and accountability
 Peer and community involvement in
PDOS
 Enabling migrants to access networks
for support and redress
Indicators of Good Practice
 Gender
sensitive and empowering
process
 Country specific cultural, economic
and social orientation/sustainability
 Recent introduction of preemployment orientation seminars
before PDOS
PDOS: Indicators of Good Practice
Innovative Curricula for PDOS programes:
participation
in
the
process
of
Introduction
of through
new skills
Empowerment
the
development
of
curricula
for
specific
syllabus
development,
through
Optimal
allocation
of
time
training
to
ensure
access
to
occupations,
experience
and
acquisition
of
knowledge
consultation with different and
new labour
markets;
destinations
skills
stakeholders
PDOS: Example of Good Practice
Contents of PDOS:
Migrants’
Source
Worksite
of Support
Workplace
Coping
Family
Health:
Travel
Remittance
Rights
at Language
Destination
Culture
Info.
Finance
Strategy
Safety
Document
HIV/AIDS
Welfare
&
Responsibilities
PDOS: Example of Good Practice
Contents of PDOS:
Migrants’ Workplace
Coping
Rights No single
Safetycountry
Strategy Language
covers all the topic
the list reflects Worksite
Travel
Culture but
Document
great potentiality of Info.
learning from each
other.
Family
Finance
Remittance
Welfare
PDOS: Example of Good Practice
Pre-employment orientation
seminars (Philippines)
• illegal recruitment, list of licensed
recruitment agencies, illegal agencies;
• procedures for application departure, onsite employment and return;
• job-site information, including culture of
the country of destination;
PDOS: Example of Good Practice
Pre-employment orientation
seminars
• remittances,
management
and
Presentlyfinancial
the policy
makers are
livelihood
projects,
as protection against
stressing
on pre-employment
the insecurity
orientation as an essential element
of
pre-migration
preparation.
• of overseas employment insurance
coverage for workers and their families.
PDOS: Example of Good Practice
Enabling Network for
Support and Redress
Information on:
Embassies in destination countries,
on their role in supporting nationals;
Philippines:
Sri Lanka &
Human
Orientation
onrights organizations
Bangladesh:
in destinationStay-facilities
countries;
Resource
at
Centers
destination
Migrants’ associations and
trade unions in destination countries;
PDOS: Example of Good Practice
Sustainability
Migrants’
Welfare
fund
Coordinated
Effort: GO,
NGO, IO,
PS
Favourable
Institutional
Structure
PDOS: Example of Good Practice
Gender sensitive policy
Entertainers:
Entertainers:
COPE in
the Philippines
Female
Special
legal
Household
Protection
Workersand
Training
Sri Lanka
Philippines
Bangladesh
Way Forward
Decentralization
The originFocus
and destination
countries
on rights
must come together to ensure
that PDOS is specificity
seen as a
Destination
Comprehensive process to make
Migration
safer and
beneficial
for all.
Breaking
away
gender
stereotype
Focus on Reintegration
Thank you and
Welcome to
Discussion…..