Introduction Migrant Workers Between States: In Search of Exit and Integration Strategies in South East Asia

Abstract

This Introduction analyses the rights of migrant workers in Southeast Asia according to the obligations of sending and receiving states as provided in the 2007 ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and the Promotion of Rights of Migrant Workers. The implementation of such rights is discussed at three levels of policy: the national, bilateral and multilateral. Gaps in strategies relating to exit and integration of migrant workers are identified. It is argued that migrant workers are situated between the sending and receiving states, but that it is unclear to which they can turn for protection.