Caritas Sri Lanka Conference on Migrant Workers

(February 11.2012) “The right to work abroad in complete safety is a fundamental right for every human being. The state has a responsibility to protect its migrant citizens, before and after their departure,” said Ramanie Jayathilaka, a lecturer at the University of Colombo, who spoke at a recent conference on “Social Welfare of Migrant Workers and their families” organised by Caritas Sri Lanka-Sedec. About 23 per cent of Sri Lanka’s labour force is working abroad. Members of local NGOs and some 50 students from the National Institute of Social Development attended the seminar. Sedec highlighted the positive aspect of this phenomenon, namely high earnings as also the negative aspect, namely the weakening of family ties. . In 2010, migrant workers had contributed 279.4 billion Sri Lankan rupees equivalent to US$ 2.41 billion to the national economy.