Victims twice over
This unfortunate incident underscores the need for a concerted international action to force Israel and Hezbollah to agree to an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities. Aggression is not the solution.
We must stop this foolishness now. We urge the warring forces in Southern Lebanon and in Gaza City to lay down their arms and negotiate for a lasting solution that will bring genuine peace in the Middle East.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. We are especially concerned with the situation of the estimated 200,000 migrant workers from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines affected by the crisis in Lebanon and Northern Israel. According to newspaper reports, one migrant worker from Sri Lanka and another from Indonesia were killed in the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.
Their deaths are truly tragic because these migrant workers are victims twice over: first by the grinding poverty from their home countries due to flawed economic policies and second from the viciousness of this senseless war. Their dreams of better lives for themselves and their families are shattered by the bombs and rockets of the Israelis and Hezbollah.
In spite of the hostile conditions, many migrant workers chose not to leave Lebanon and Northern Israel for fear of losing their only source of income. For many, to stay means facing serious risk from the ongoing violence while to go back home means confronting poverty and unemployment. Simply put, these people are caught between a rock and a hard place.
A significant number of migrant workers who want to leave are forced to remain in Lebanon because of the lack of proper documentation. We heard many horror stories about undocumented migrant workers being abandoned by their respective governments. Many are sleeping along the streets of Beirut while some are reportedly languishing in jails. I
rrespective of status, all migrant workers should be given assistance. Repatriation should be open to all, documented or not. We also urge the governments of migrant-sending countries to have a proper accounting of all of their citizens in Lebanon and Northern Israel.
The predicament of the migrant workers in the war-torn region is indicative of the failure of the migrant-sending governments to provide their people with full and decent employment. It highlights the incompetence of migrant-sending countries to quickly respond to crisis situation where their citizens are at risk.
We reiterate our call for relevant national and international agencies to act together to save the lives and livelihoods of migrant workers caught in conflict situations. It is only through a concerted and programmatic effort that we can ensure the safety of the migrant workers.
In many countries, labour migration has become part of the official development strategy. Millions of migrant workers provide significant economic contributions through remittances amounting to billions of dollars. Maximizing these remittances for people-centered development will contribute to sustainable economic growth that will reduce dependency on migration. If only governments will do their jobs in providing their people with enough opportunities at home then they will not be confronted with the difficult situation such as what is happening in Lebanon now.
On September 14-15, the United Nations General Assembly is convening the High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development. We call on Member States and Civil Society Actors who will be participating in this dialogue to find ways to work together and ensure the protection of the human rights of all migrants and their families.
Thus, we reiterate our call for all Member States to ratify, adopt and implement all the core UN and ILO human rights instruments, particularly the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.
We encourage them to discuss not only the effects of international migration but rather focus on the factors pushing people out of their own communities and countries. We challenge them to draw up solutions that will minimize the negative effects of international migration.