KABUL - For decades, Afghans have been migrating to other countries to help their families back home, driven abroad by prolonged conflict, poverty, unemployment and underemployment. The bulk of these migrants have travelled to neighbouring countries, especially Iran, Pakistan, and the Gulf States, where they have arranged for their jobs through irregular means, and are therefore vulnerable to forced-labour situations and the risk of deportation.

According to the Afghan Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA), the Government of Iran deported 400,000 Afghans in 2007 and another 211,023 in 2011. Similarly, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that 45,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan this year following the terrorist incident at a school in Peshawar.

To regulate labour migration and protect and promote the rights of Afghan workers abroad, MoLSA, with the technical support of IOM and the International Labour Organization (ILO), drafted Afghanistan’s first National Labour Migration Policy.

“The National Labour Migration Policy is good to start, recognizing the fact that a large group of people that leave Afghanistan either legally or irregularly are driven by economic factors,” says IOM’s Kabul-based Policy Advisor, Vivianne van der Vorst, noting that the policy not only will help streamline and facilitate labour migrations, but also will help provide protection to migrants.

The Director General of Manpower and Employment Relations at MoLSA, Khair Mohammad Niru, says the policy will be sent soon to the Afghan parliament for approval. Once endorsed, the policy is expected to establish the framework for new legislation concerning labour migration. Also, the policy is expected to help recruitment agencies, especially those that have strong international connections, facilitate labour migrations through proper mechanisms.

“It means that the whole process is legal,” says Ms. van der Vorst. “People go with a proper visa and get proper contracts, and will have health insurance and proper housing.”

Another major focus of the policy is on development in terms of controlling and regulating the flow of money from abroad and facilitating the return and reintegration of migrant workers. Ms. van der Vorst says IOM is planning to initiate some concrete activities with MoLSA after the policy gets endorsement.

“IOM can support information centres for the beneficiaries,” says Ms. van der Vorst, adding that migrant workers should know what can happen to them and what resources they have available to them.

As part of its routine work in Afghanistan, IOM facilitates conferences to bring together government and civil society, along with certified recruitment agencies, so they can discuss needs and share ideas. IOM also organizes such conferences at the regional level to share best practices and strengthen country relations.