Vietnam protects rights of women migrant workers Integration has contributed to an increasing flow of guest workers from Vietnam and currently as many as 500,000 adults have migrated to more than 40 countries around the globe to work. The Overseas Labour Management Department also reports that over the past five years the average annual number of women and men guest workers has been on the uptick averaging 35,000 and 55,000 respectively. While integration may foster trade and investment, it does not necessarily create an environment that protects workers economic, social and physical security and increasing numbers of women have complained of low pay, long hours and substandard accommodation. The department said the problems encountered by the women were further compounded by language issues and a fundamental lack of knowledge and understanding of their basic rights. The women have been filling gaps, particularly as domestic workers, nurses, dressmakers and assembly line workers in electronics factories  in the RoK, Taiwan (China), Malaysia, Japan, Arab Saudi and Cyprus. Difficulties Department officials said they have heard reports of exploitative employers and employment agencies paying below the national minimum wage and making illegal deductions. Other problems included not getting statutory sick pay or holidays and workers living in overcrowded conditions. Because accommodation has often been arranged by recruitment agencies, many migrants feared that complaining would lead to dismissal and homelessness. Pham Viet Huong, deputy head of the department said women workers have told of being given false expectations or wrong information about their employment prospects while still in their countries of origin. However, Vietnam has in the past had no special policies for female workers, to deal with the difficulties and risks when working abroad, Huong added. Women also face other challenges upon returning home. In many cases, leaving to work in a foreign factory, going to a large city and living outside of the family homes means breaking out of the women’s cultural traditional role. When they return to Vietnam, they are treated differently. Their experiences outside the community may make them appear suspect or threatening to the traditional gender norms. Many have difficulty reintegrating into their communities due to their increased independence and may even question the traditional roles they left behind. More polices for women migrant workers In concert with the upswing in the number of women migrant workers, the Overseas Labour Management Department has been working in collaboration with the UN Women on an initiative to help tackle women migrant worker issues. The initiative has drawn upon international human rights standards, focusing on promoting safe migration for women, eliminating trafficking, and enabling policy, institutional and socio-economic environments that ensure women equal opportunities and benefits from migration. The project has also helped support individuals to better integrate into foreign countries once they arrive and assists them to locate suitable jobs. Chief Representative of UN Women in Vietnam Shoko Ishikawa said the goal is to raise awareness about gender equality and improve capacity for managers from local labour businesses. She expressed confidence that the project will help ensure the legitimate rights of Vietnamese women migrant workers abroad. For her part, Ngo Thi Ngoc Anh, director of the Centre for Gender, Family and Community Development Research said finding a stable job is a great challenge for women migrant workers upon returning home.   She added that when returning from Taiwan, the RoK and Malaysia, Vietnamese women guest workers can contact her centre for assistance finding a job in Hanoi and Hai Phong.  VOV