Happy International Migrants Day! ! This is a monthly update from BEBESEA to our valuable friends, colleagues and resource persons who have participated in and supported our activities.

News from BEBESEA:

Call for Participants – Cross-regional Workshop: Following our side-event on rights of seafarers and sea-based migrant workers at International Migrants Alliance (IMA) 5th Global Assembly (see below), BEBESEA is organising a cross-regional workshop to invite members of grass-roots organisations and individual activists to exchange their experiences of advocacy, learn about different frameworks and arenas for regional and international advocacy and improve capacity to develop and implement their own and joint advocacy strategies. “Cross-regional Workshop on Solidarity Building and Collective Advocacy on Rights of Seafarers and Sea-based Migrant Workers” will be held on 2-3 February 2023 virtually, and we are calling for participants. For more information about the workshop and how to apply for participation, kindly see more details on BEBESEA Website. Please share and spread the words! The deadline for applications is 15th January 2023. 

International Migrants Day 2022: In commemoration of the International Migrants Day, We released a brief report of our participation in the IMA 5th Global Assembly held in Bangkok. BEBESEA is standing in solidarity with Migrant Communities around the Globe. The report is available on BEBESEA Website and Instagram.

VOICESEA Podcast: New episode with Fadiyah Alaidrus, our former Story Fellowship Participant who wrote about the case of Merry Utami from the perspective of her daughter, is now available on our Spotify. 

Story Fellowship: BEBESEA expresses our deepest gratitude to everyone who submitted their story ideas for the fellowship program. We received a large volume of applications, and each one of them were very unique and important. The fellowship has started with seven selected fellows who had their first workshop earlier this month. Please keep your eyes on our social media platforms for more information about our Story Fellows and their work in progress!

News from Our Network

Featured Commentary: Jaya Anil Kumar from HOME Singapore contributed her commentaries on Year in Reflection by Jaya Anil Kumar (Asian Labour Review), drawing attention to safety and rest days as two central concerns for migrant domestic workers in Singapore.

Online Publication: (The) Korean’s Media Coverage on Migrant Workers Unionization Issues in South Korea : A Case Study of Migrants’ Trade Union (MTU) Establishment (2002-2015) (Seoul National University Library) thesis paper of our academy alumnus, Alvin Qobulsyah, has been published and is available to download.

Article: Our Youth Academy Alumnus, Tual Sawn Khai, co-authored an article, ‘I Doubt Myself and Am Losing Everything I Have since COVID Came’—A Case Study of Mental Health and Coping Strategies among Undocumented Myanmar Migrant Workers in Thailand, published and is accessible online on MDPI website.

If you have any resources or events you would like BEBESEA to share widely, please do get in touch!