IRD Department HOD Participates in International Workshop on International Labour Migration

On 24^th May, 2023, the Head of International Relations and Diplomacy Department, Dr. Mohammad Salih Mustafa, participated in an International Workshop on Gendered Dynamics of International Labour Migration in Kurdistan Region – Iraq, organized by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Middlesex University London and Gender Justice and Security Hub, held in Dedeman Hotel, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The workshop had three sessions. The first session centred on introduction and presentation of a research report on ‘Gender Dynamics of Migrant Workers in Kurdistan Region,’ which was presented by Prof. Eleonore Kofman. This was followed by the second session on ‘Female Migrant Workers‘ Stories in KRI,’ which featured discussion with migrant workers from sectors, moderated by Jiyar Aghapouri. This session also highlighted the challenges and suffering of migrant workers and recommendations on how to address these challenges were made. The third session was on ‘Policy Discussion with Stakeholders,’ moderated by Muslih Irwani. In this regard, stakeholders from Parliament, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, academics, NGOs, labour syndicates, participated, offering their perspectives on the issue.

Relevant recommendations were made by the participants/stakeholders, and Dr. Mohammad Salih Mustafa, offered the following recommendations:

•  A training centre for security and due diligence should be established for labour migrants, especially the female workers and relevant bodies, such as the recruitment agencies. In this regard, the IRD Head of Department expressed his readiness to help in the creation of the centre.
• Taxi drivers should be taken through certain training and check, such as Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to qualify as professional taxi drivers.