improvement of housing and mandatory subscription to national health insurance and
industrial insurance; iv) engage in the improvement of working and living conditions for
migrant workers in the fishing industry in step with the ratification of the Maritime Labor
Convention by the Korean government; and v) conduct regular monitoring of the human
rights situation of foreign sailors and build a system preventing all kinds of rights violations.
In addition, a recommendation was made to the Chairperson of the National Federation
of OO that he i) provide migrant workers in the recruitment and training stage with
work-related information, and institutionalize human rights training for staff of the
Federation, ship owners and native Korean crew members; and ii) establish support
centers in migrant workers enclaves and run interpretation services.
R. Recommendation to Improve the Emergency Aid Program for Marriage Migrant
Women and for Those Residing for Humanitarian Reasons
The NHRCK initiated the 2012 Investigation to Improve the Social Welfare and
Support System for Migrants in Korea in order to assess and improve the general human
rights condition of foreign migrants. The results of the investigation showed that married
migrant women and those who are allowed to stay in Korea for humanitarian reasons
(hereafter, “humanitarian status holders”) are neglected by humanitarian emergency aid
programs even though Korea is transitioning towards a multicultural society.
As such, the Commission recommended that the Minister of Health and Welfare
amend the Enforcement Decree of the Emergency Aid and Support Act to incorporate “a
person who is given permission to stay on humanitarian grounds” prescribed under Article
2 Clause 3 of the Refugee Act and married migrant women without children into the
category of foreigners who are eligible to apply for emergency aid programs, thereby
protecting the humanitarian status holders and married migrant women who are going
through a financial or other crisis. (December 6, 2012)
Chapter 1. Improvement of Laws, Regulations, Policies and Practices
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