Detalles del documento

Migration has been a long standing feature in South Asia especially between countries sharing common borders. Yet the Gulf boom in the early 1970s triggered a different type of labour movement from South Asia to the Middle East. The objective of this paper is to look at migration policy frameworks in South Asia and their implications for governance of migration, protection of migrant workers and maximizing development benefits of migration. I shall focus on overall policy issues, and provide only a broad sketch of the South Asian migration profile as a backdrop to the discussion of policy issues. The paper next reviews the major features and challenges of labour migration in South Asia. This is followed by a comparative review of different aspects of migration policy in Asia as reflected in the legislative and policy frameworks. The scope for a subregional approach to migration policy in South Asia is discussed next. The conclusions identify some priority areas for policy reform.