Labour Migration and Human Development

Labour migration has been increasingly playing a significant role in the development of the Southern Africa region, including Mozambique. Mozambique is a country of origin and transit for migrant workers, mainly to South Africa. In addition, cross-border migration and migration to Mozambique, as well as of Mozambicans to other countries, presents an opportunity to leverage labour migration as a driver of development. In line with the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and the Members of their Families, to which Mozambique is a signatory, and the SADC Labour Migration Action Plan (2020–2025) adopted at the 2020 SADC Ministerial and Social Partners, Employment and Labour Sector Meeting held in Dar Es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania IOM will support the Government of Mozambique to implement the priorities in this action plan including data collection, bilateral and multilateral coordination, portability of social benefits, remittances, protection of the rights of migrant workers, ethical recruitment and corporate social responsibility. In addition, as a key stakeholder, IOM will promote cooperation between the Government and societal actors such as the private sector and civil society as well as initiatives that foster diaspora engagement.

Objective

Optimize the benefits of labour migration for both the country of origin and of destination, as well as for the migrants themselves, while ensuring the protection of migrant workers and their families.

Key Results

• The Government of Mozambique has the tools and information to develop and operationalize labour migration policy and ensure the social protection of migrants and their families.
• Bilateral and multilateral cooperation on labour migration with countries of origin of migrants in Mozambique and destination of Mozambicans is increased.
• The Government of Mozambique has the capacities to engage and empower the Mozambican diaspora.
• Engagement between the private sector in Mozambique, destination countries and the Government of Mozambique is increased to promote ethical recruitment, the protection migrant workers and corporate responsibility in ending slavery and trafficking in persons.
• Risk of violence, abuse and exploitation of Mozambican migrant workers is reduced as migrant-sending communities are aware of safe migration practices.

Projects

Institutional Capacity-Building for Diaspora Engagement in Mozambique (2013 – 2014)

Sustained high rates of emigration, particularly among the highly skilled, has resulted in a sizeable Mozambican diaspora. Based on census data between 1960 and 2000, the top destination for Mozambican migrants is South Africa, but other significant countries include Malawi, Tanzania, Portugal, Swaziland, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, and Spain.  Although Mozambicans continue to relocate abroad, the country’s macroeconomic stability and impressive growth have created more opportunities for the diaspora to be economically engaged in their home country.

Following Mozambique’s accession as a Member State of IOM in December 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINEC) requested assistance from IOM to develop a diaspora database within the context of a broader diaspora engagement strategy.  Funded by the International Organization for Migration Development Fund (IDF) and in collaboration with MINEC’s National Institute for Mozambican Communities in the Exterior (INACE), the project has four goals:

• To strengthen national institutional capacity to engage with the diaspora;
• To increase knowledge about the nature and whereabouts of the diaspora;
• To develop evidence-based long-term programmes to promote investment and skills transfer;
• To strengthen communications between the Mozambican government and the diaspora.

Activities to achieve these goals include: ‘diaspora mapping’ Mozambican communities in South Africa; launching an INACE website with an online diaspora survey; and, through MINAC, drafting and endorsing a Diaspora Engagement Strategy.

Voices from the Underground: Building the Advocacy and Human Rights Capacity of Migrant Mineworkers and their Families in Southern Africa (2014 – 2016)

Historically South Africa has lacked an integrated approach to migration and labour practices. Despite new constitutional dispensation, the country is still vulnerable to exploitative practices in the formal and informal economies. This often correlates with vulnerability caused by a lack of legal documentation and lack of coherent multi-sectoral policies for local integration (short-term or long-term) of migrant workers and former migrant workers. The system is based on immigration enforcement and exclusion rather than a rights-based policy resulting in inclusion and integration.

For Mozambique’s large number of current and retired migrant mineworkers, who have a long history of working in South Africa’s mines, many are unaware of their rights and the available social protection mechanisms and services. The shortcomings in legal policy implementation, documentation and knowledge have contributed to a number of severe social protection problems for migrant mineworkers, namely, portability of pensions, access to compensation and essential reintegration programmes.

In order to find sustainable solutions, migrant mine workers and their families need appropriate channels to voice their concerns. Managed and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and funded by the European Union (EU), the aim of this regional project is to improve the protection and advocacy capacity of migrant mine workers and their families in Southern Africa. The project has three components: institutional capacity-building of the Mozambican Mine Workers Association (AMIMO); facilitating legal services and counseling for mine workers and their families, together withLawyers for Human Rights (LHR), and; advocacy and communications at the national and regional levels to spur dialogue with stakeholders and inform beneficiaries of their rights.

[1] Statistic taken from IOM’s global website. See: http://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/what-we-do/labour-migration.html