International Workshop: One step forward, two steps back? Different stages of the life course of migrants’ movement in East Asia

Directed by Dr Isabelle Cockel at the University of Portsmouth in the UK, this international project is a continuation of ongoing partnership amongst key players who have been collaborating to advance migrant workers’ rights since 2020. Guided by the principle of ‘nothing about us without us’, this project focuses on migrants’ movement in East Asia by offering an interactive forum in which to disseminate scholarship and information about grassroots activism and transnational networks. This project’s bottom-up approach is facilitated by the collaboration amongst academic researchers, migrant activists and migrant workers who are based in Taiwan as well as from Indonesia, South Korea and the UK. Overseen by Dr Cockel, this project organised a 5-day event at the National Cheng Kung University, National Taiwan University and Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation between 13th and 17th April. The project included (1) lectures about the making of documentary as a form of public education, the racialisation of migrant workers and undocumented farm labour, (2) the screening of three migration-themed documentaries concerning the fishing industry, undocumented workers and the police's use of force against migrant workers, (3) a panel of presentation on migrants' movement in East Asia and (4) a workshop for producing a migrant workers’ handbook. This project seeks the financial support of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, in addition to the financial and/or in-kind support of participating organisations and universities. A major output of this project is a special issue published in a peer-reviewed academic journal and blogs published in academic and non-academic platforms in order to raise public awareness towards migrant workers’ rights. The completion of the international project contributes to the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institution), which is key to achieving SDG1 (no poverty), SDG3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG5 (gender equality), SDG8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG10 (reduced inequality).