Construction camp showcases milestones as a result of Reaching Women Migrant Workers and Their Families in Construction Camps (REACH) Project
Following the implementation of World Vision Thailand’s Reaching Women Migrant Workers and Their Families in Construction Camps (REACH), funded by ILO Safe and Fair: Realizing women migrant workers’ rights and opportunity in ASEAN Region Programme, the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls by 2030. High-level officers from the ILO Headquarter in Geneva, ILO Regional and Country Office officers visited one of the construction camps on December 1, 2023. Together with Sansiri’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Samatcha Promsiri, and World Vision Thailand’s National Director, Dr. Sarawut Rachasrimuang, the party was given the opportunity to survey some of the milestones reached in the camp as a result of the project. The party also had the occasion to visit unique additional initiatives undertaken in the construction including a child-friendly space where the children of the migrant workers are able to play, a takraw field for adults as a measure to eliminate gender-based violence, and solid waste management as an income generation activity used by the workers to grow and sell vegetables.
The REACH project aims to build understanding among women migrant workers and their families on the rights and benefits they are lawfully entitled to and improve women migrant workers and their families’ access to education, health services and labour rights. It was implemented in 10 Sansiri construction sites across the provinces of Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan from April 2022 to September 2023, reaching over 2,600 migrant workers, including 1,400 women. Project initiatives included training of migrant volunteer outreach workers on labor rights, entitlements, gender-based violence, and referrals to service providers; training on women’s voiced needs such as make-up and hairstyling; and training for Sansiri’s contractors and sub-contractors on ethical recruitment practices and labor rights for migrant workers.
“Reaching migrant workers in the construction sector is important. Out of the 2.3 million registered migrant workers in Thailand, 600,000 are working in the construction sector, with 216,000 (36%) being women,” Dr. Rachasrimuang reiterated.
Meanwhile, World Vision Thailand commended Sansiri’s commitment to the Business and Human Rights agenda and its engagement in mainstreaming it to its contractors and sub-contractors. Dr.Rachasrimuang added that creating awareness and getting the support of contractors and sub-contractors on ethical recruitment and labor rights of migrant workers is one of the project’s biggest wins. “The child-friendly space and the takraw field in the construction site that we visited are but one of the good examples of how we can champion women and children’s welfare if the contractors are one with us in our cause,” he said, noting that both projects were initiated jointly by the workers and the contractors.
“There is more to do but we have made a good progress. This project is a good model of private sector–civil society–government partnership and World Vision Thailand looks forward to continuing working with both ILO and Sansiri to promote the welfare of women migrant workers, their children and their families,” shared Dr. Rachasrimuang.
