SPECPOL - World Model United Nations

migrant workers that they might use to seek out legal
aid and report abuses. Should governments have a
specialized agency that deals specifically with migrant
workers, or some other mechanism of ensuring
their rights are respected? What mechanisms of
oversight should be put in place to monitor migrant
workers’ rights in various countries? Should it be
the responsibility of the ILO to monitor and address
claims of worker abuse, or should it be given to
another organ? In addition, there should be an
explanation of the measures taken should a country
be convicted of having exploited migrant workers. It
is not necessary to be overly specific, but a general
outline of the processes by which the United Nations
will discourage such exploitation is useful.
Finally, the resolution must address the issue of
recruitment agencies and private contracts. There
must be a framework in place to address agencies
accused of misleading immigrants, and the resolution
must detail what powers are given to nations to
regulate recruitment agencies within their borders.
in addition, under what circumstances can a contract
signed by a migrant worker be nullified? Elucidating
the relationship between contracts and international
law regarding workers will be useful in determining if
exploitation has occurred at all.
There are many other questions that remain
unanswered that might be included in a resolution.
For instance, it might be important to address sharp
cultural or religious differences that could potentially
cause problems during labor negotiations. There
are so many issues to be considered that it can be
daunting to try and find a resolution that provides
every solution, so instead try and pinpoint the most
pertinent issues that can be applied uniformly to all
nations. Specifics are good, but keep in mind that
a resolution might fail if it is too specific and not
applicable enough.
Questions to consider:
• What qualifies a migrant worker?
• to what protections and rights is a migrant
worker entitled?
• On whom will the responsibility be placed of
addressing workers’ complaints?
• How must countries regulate worker
•
recruitment centers?
Under what conditions can a worker’s contract
be nullified?
Key Actors and Positions
Much has already been written in this guide about
the importance of the Middle east as a destination
for workers around the globe. Home to millions of
migrant workers, who sometimes outnumber the
native population, the Middle East has already been
implicated in several instances of worker exploitation
and continues to face pressure from various
migrant-sending countries to reform its labor laws.
Complications arise during considerations of what
amounts to cultural differences, such as the supposed
mistreatment of women, and what constitutes
specific and deliberate worker exploitation. The
history surrounding the development of the Middle
east as an international destination for millions of
workers has been more clearly explained in the
section “History of the Problem.”
The problem essentially splits the world into two
groups: countries that send migrants overseas to
work and the countries that receive them. Typically
the former group is composed of poorer, less
industrialized nations whose economies depend on
the remittances sent home by these workers. They
are also typically the countries spearheading efforts
to institute labor reform and ensure the protection
of their citizens abroad. Yet because they tend to be
poorer and are dependent on these workers, they have
far less power to enact change on an international
scale. The very reasons for which migrants choose to
leave these countries are also responsible for their
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