Cambodia constitutes a major source country of outward seeking labour migrants. The vast majority of them are undocumented, having entered the neighboring countries in violation of immigration laws, exposing many of them to heightened risks of abuse and rights violations.
In an attempt to regulate migratory flows through legal channels, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Thailand on the 'Sending of Migrant Workers through Private Recruitment Agencies', and is currently entering into the last round of negotiations to reach an agreement on the 'Sending of Domestic Workers to Malaysia'. At the national level, it issued Sub Decree 190 on the 'Management of the Sending of Cambodian Workers Abroad through Private Recruitment Agencies' in 2011 and in 2013 eight ministerial regulations (Prakas) to guide its implementation.
This project aims to support the RGC to enhance the management of outward labour migration flows to neighboring countries, particularly Thailand and Malaysia, with an emphasis on the implementation of the newly passed Prakas 250 on the 'Inspection on Private Recruitment Agency' and 252 on 'On-Site Service ofthe Private Recruitment Agency and Repatriation'. To do so, it builds on a three pronged approach to protect and empower migrant workers by: 1) Reducing the instances of abuse through the effective implementation of recently adopted ministerial regulations; 2) Facilitating prospective and returned migrants' access to updated and reliable information; and 3) Improving migrants' access to recourse and compensation mechanisms.