Statement on International Migrants Day

Strengthening our commitment to support the migrant movement for their rights, welfare and dignity

The Tai Po fire in Hong Kong not only brought grief but also exposed the vulnerability of migrant domestic workers. The massive fire killed 160 lives, including 10 migrant domestic workers who were trying to save themselves and their wards (children and the elderly). The Mission for Migrant Workers (MFMW) and Bethune House Migrant Women Refuge (BHMWR) reported that there were 232 migrant domestic workers affected by the Tai Po fire, in which 92 are Filipinos and 140 are Indonesians. Overall, nearly 2,000 households were affected, and 31 people are still missing. 

Affected migrant domestic workers have lost their belongings and important documents, experienced trauma, smoke inhalation, lived in temporary shelters, and still had to work to serve their employers' families and send money home.

They are also at risk of losing their jobs or not being paid due to their employers' situations. This reflects the constant cycle of risks and vulnerability that migrant domestic workers have to face amidst trauma and grief, and against the backdrop of unjust economic structures.

This reality is not just true for migrant domestic workers. Migrant workers across the Asia Pacific continue to face such realities, from the pre-departure process to arriving at their placement work and even when they return home. Many experience rights violations, excessive migration costs, physical and psychological violence, forced labor, and are victims of scams and human trafficking, with minimal access to justice and government services in both their countries of origin and host countries.

Amidst these, migrants continue to rise up, organize and campaign to uphold their rights and address the issues they face. They and their organizations are the first to provide support to their fellow migrants, as in the case of the Tai Po fire. They see the value of building solidarity and partnership with migrant service providers and advocates, working peoples and other sectors in their host countries, seeing their struggles are interlinked with those of others.

This year’s International Migrants’ Day, we celebrate their resilience, resistance and struggle to rise above the challenges as individuals and as collectives who hold each other’s hands to promote and defend their rights, demand accountability and work for a world without forced migration. The Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants commits to supporting the migrant movement in every way possible and will always be dedicated to amplifying their voices in different spaces.

Let us all build a strong migrant movement and defend migrants rights wherever we may be! End forced migration! 

Happy International Migrants Day 2025!