Challenges and implications due to illegal expatriate workers

Challenges and implications due to illegal expatriate workers Hassan Khaleel Chief Immigration officer Department of Immigration & Emigration

Difinitions Human Trafficking The recruitment, transportation , transfer , harbouring, or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use by force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving and receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

Difinitions • Human Smuggling The procurement for financial or other material benefit of illegal entry of a person into a state of which that person is not national or resident.

Contributions by migrant workers to development of Maldives • Education sector • Tourism Sector • Health Sector • Construction industry • Aviation industry etc…. . Department of Immigration & Emigration

How migrants becomes illegal workers • Run away Expatriate workers finds that working independently, can generate more income • Forced to flee Employer do not pay salary / give food and accommodation

Assesment on expatriate workers Oct 2010 • 87, 178 Legal migrant workers • 30, 000 Illegal Migrant workers • 10, 000 Undocumented • 18, 233 New expatriate employees • 35710 Re-entry on work visa

Criminal activities of illegal migrant worker • • • Financing radicalism Human Trafficking Migrant Smuggling Forced labour Debt bondage Prostitution Forced sexual exploitation Kidnapping Child abuse

Deportation Stats of 2009 DEPORTATION STATISTICS OF 2009 WORKING ILLEGALLY ILLEGAL STAY USE OF DRUGS USE OF ALCOHOL 2268 2 YEARS 317 10 YEARS 3 11 SUSPECT OF PROSTITUTION LIFE 2 10 YEARS 24 10 YEARS 10 10 YEARS PHYSICAL ASSAULT 47 05 YEARS / 10 YERS THEFT 23 6 PROSTITUTION FACILITATION FOR PROSTITUTION CHILD ABUSE 05 YEARS LIFE INDECENT BEHAVIOUR 8 5 YEARS RECRUITING 17 10 YEARS PASSPORT FORGERY 1 LIFE OVER STYAYING IN BUSINESS VISA 5 10 YEARS UNLAWFUL ACTIVITY 8 5 YEARS PRODUCING FAKE CURRENCY (RUFIYAA) 1 5 YEARS KIDNAPPING 2 LIFE POSSESING COUNTERFEIT CURRENCY 3 10 / 5 YEARS PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED 2 LIFE ILLEGAL TRADE 4 10 YEARS POSSESING FAKE EMPLOYMENT APPROVALS 4 5 YEARS PREACHING CHRISTIANITY 1 10 YEARS POSSESING MATERIALS CONTRARY TO ISLAM 1 LIFE COMPLETED SENTENCE IN PRISON TOTAL SOURCE: EXPATRIATE MONITROING AND REPATRIATION DIVISION DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AND EMIGRAITON 2769 Department of Immigration & Emigration

Possible threats to tourist Industry • Resorts security is managed by private firms. • Private firms employee illegal migrant workers • Sub contractors who under take resort construction or renovation projects employee illegal migrant workers Department of Immigration & Emigration

Possible threats to tourist industry • Migrant workers come after obtaining huge loans from so called “loan Sharks” or selling their property. • So they are in a desperate state to secure funds to repay their loans. Gang operators can easily utilize them to engage in criminal activities including attacks on tourists and tourist facility. Department of Immigration & Emigration

Possible threats to tourist industry • Tourism Ministry Plans to expand tourism to local community. Illegal expatriate who engage in kidnapping and pedophilia may target tourist. Department of Immigration & Emigration

Challenges • Re-entry of deported personnel with genuine documents improperly obtained. • Freely roaming in the country by illegal workers • No APIS or APP – officers are required to be very vigilant in identifying irregular travel movements • No proper facility for keeping illegal workers till repatriation • Appropriate amount of budget not allocated to carry out deportation process Department of Immigration & Emigration

Challenges • Carryout monitoring process with minimum staff • Threats by gangs to monitoring officers • Inflicting harm on vehicles and homes of these officers • No vehicle to transport illegal workers to detention facility • No legislature to criminalize human trafficking and human smuggling. Department of Immigration & Emigration

Measures to overcome these challenges • Utilizing resources and obtaining assistance from Maldives Police Services • Drafted an act “criminalizing trafficking in person and human smuggling” with the help of Australian attorney general. • Negotiating with IOM and DIAC to obtain an expert to reform, identify training needs and revise migration management. First round of talks carried in Colombo with IOM Director and Australian high commissioner on 13 March 2011. Department of Immigration & Emigration

Measures to overcome these challenges • Switching to a full fledge state of the art technology with facial recognition and bio-matrix capture • Station visa officers at embassies in selected countries of SAARC region to issue work visa. Discussions are in progress to post a visa officer at Maldives missions in selected countries of SAARC. Department of Immigration & Emigration

Measures to overcome these challenges • Pre-screening for other visas will be carried out by this officer prior to travel to Maldives • Introduce E- Visa This is a concept we have in our minds to be implemented in future. Department of Immigration & Emigration

Measures to be under taken by resorts operators and owners to deter any threats by illegal migrant workers • Pre-screen migrant workers of sub-contractors and security personnel • Look for work visa card Reject any migrant worker without valid work visa card Any other solutions ? ? ?

Thank you