Established in 2019, Rights Corridor is an online regional news platform and policy research that aims to highlight the contemporary human rights, women and children’s rights, labour rights, and migration issues and recommend policy recommendations for key stakeholders in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East corridor and beyond. This public platform provides not only up-to-date information on the human and labour rights news and initiatives, but also offers critical analysis necessary to provide thought-provoking discussions and solutions to address migrant precarity across the region.
Objectives
- Provide constructive, up-to-date analysis on the human and labour rights issues through research, policy publications and news reporting
- Develop evidence-based policy dialogues on human and labor rights
- Recommend an inclusive, practical policy prescriptions for key stakeholders, including governments, migrants, CSOs, journalists, international organizations, lawyers, and other public advocates
Rights Corridor Grand Launch
Rights Corridor was officially launched in the Philippines on February 27, 2020 at Sheraton Bay Hotel Manila, attended by representatives from the Philippine government agencies – Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Commission on Human Rights (CHR); international organisations – International Labor Organization (ILO-Philippines), International Organization for Migration (IOM-Philippines), ASEAN Task Force for Migration; institutions – Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), Blas Ople Policy Center and Training Institute; non-government organisations – ASEAN Trade Union Council (Singapore), Law and Policy Forum for Social Justice (Nepal), Scalabrini Migration Center, Public Services Labor Independent Confederation, CIFAL-Philippines, among others, and members of international and Philippine media.
In the Philippines, Rights Corridor has partnered with DAWN (Development for Action Women’s Network) led by its Executive Director, Carmelita Nuqui.
“The Development Action for Women Network (DAWN) partnered with Rights Corridor in order to continue to champion the rights and welfare of our women migrant returnees and members of their families through updated and evidence-based policy recommendations and implementation.” – Carmelita Nuqui
During the event, keynote speaker, ASEAN Task Force on Migrant Workers (AFML)’s Regional Coordinator, Sinapan Samydorai, reflected on the complex and multilevel challenges and opportunities faced by migrants and local and regional civil society bodies in the ASEAN context.
“Migration is a key international trend with more than 270 million crossing borders to seek decent work, better income, and better living standard for themselves and their family.” – Sinapan Samydorai
Another keynote speaker, Law and Policy Forum for Social Justice (LAPSOJ)’s human rights lawyer Anurag Devkota shared not only his national legal advocacy in Nepal but also discussed the ongoing challenges and broader spaces for collaboration for civil society groups in the South Asia context.
“In the age of technology and rising concerns over the veracity of the information, the inception of rights corridor serves to be the best answer.” – Anurag Devkota
The Manila launch has aimed to highlight the contemporary migration, human rights and labour rights issues, specifically in the context of Asia-Middle East and Africa-Middle East migration corridors. Rights Corridor intends to offer both critical insights and data information in understanding Middle East migration trends, labour and human rights issues and highlight the transformative potential of, and urgent need for regional corridor research collaboration between origin and destination country institutions with regional researchers on migration, labour, and human rights in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East regions.
“Rights Corridor has the potential to democratise access to information, networks, and opportunities for international researchers (specifically in the origin countries), civil society groups, and sending country governments that have interests in studying migration, human and labour rights in a globalizing world.”
– Froilan Malit, Jr., Rights Corridor Managing Director, grand launch, Manila Philippines, February 27, 2020
