Thursday, 1 September, 2022
18.30 - 19.30 hours (GMT +7)

A very beautiful but heavy jacket: The experiences of migrant workers with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression in South-East Asia

Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand, 518/5 Ploenchit Road, Patumwan, Bangkok 10330.

Background

Narratives and approaches on labour migration  often do not take into consideration diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE). To understand the experiences of migrant workers who have diverse SOGIE, a study was carried out in Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. The study explored the motivations to migrate, the opportunities and challenges faced by the migrant workers due to their SOGIE in relation to the world of work.

 

Understanding the diversity of experiences requires recognition that migrant workers with diverse SOGIE also have other characteristics - such as ethnicity, gender, nationality - that shape their opportunities and experiences individually and through interaction with their SOGIE. It also means dispensing with some stereotypes. For example, while many trans and gender diverse people do work in the adult entertainment sector, many also work in other sectors. Overall, people with diverse SOGIE who participated in the research worked in construction, manufacturing, agriculture, retail, and hospitality as well as adult entertainment.

 

The launch event will bring together journalists,academia and partners to share and discuss the findings and recommendations of the study. Key resource persons will be invited to talk, with the opportunity for a Q&A session.

 

Venue

Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand, 518/5 Ploenchit Road, Patumwan, Bangkok 10330.

The launch event will also be live streamed via Zoom.

 

Registration

Please clink the link to register: https://ilo-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJErdOCsrz8tE9SC17Szrk4S1GxxcoiceZVe

 

Provisional agenda

Thursday, 1 September 2022
18:30 – 19:30 hours (GMT +7)

  • Welcome remarks – Representative of the European Union Delegation to Thailand (5 minutes)
  • Presentation of the Study – Emily Dwyer, Edge Effect (lead author) (10 minutes)
  • Panel discussion: Experiences of migrant workers with diverse SOGIE in the world of work (20 minutes)
  • Q&A with journalists (25 minutes)

 

Enquiry

For more information, please contact
Pichit Phromkade
Communications Officer, Safe and Fair Programme
ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Email: phromkade@ilo.org