On International Migrants Day, IUF and Amnesty call on Korean government to end systematic abuse of migrant agricultural workers

On International Migrants Day, December 18, the IUF and Amnesty International Korean organizations capped their two-month joint campaign with a declaration and joint press conference calling on the government to protect the right of migrant agricultural workers in the country to live and work in safe conditions. Migrant agricultural workers live and work under appalling conditions and the government’s Employment Permit Scheme contributes to systematic abuse by tying workers to their employers.

At a joint press conference in Seoul, 25-year-old Cambodian migrant Srey Navy described her experience of being compelled to work massive amounts of unpaid overtime in a greenhouse with no proper rest in violation of her contract. She appealed to the government to monitor actual working hours at farms and develop proper enforcement procedures

Through on-and off-line petitions, the campaign collected 28,436 petitions from 128 countries including Korea. A planned visit to the Ministry of Employment and Labour after the press conference was rejected by the ministry; the petitions will be delivered by mail.  

The IUF Korea office is stepping up its support, educational and organizing work among migrant farm workers.