GAATW News

Vacancy: Programme Officer Communications

Written on 28 February 2023.

Location: GAATW-International Secretariat, Bangkok, Thailand

About GAATW:

The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) is an Alliance of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from all regions of the world. GAATW’s International Secretariat (GAATW-IS) is based in Bangkok, Thailand. GAATW’s works to ensure that:

Responses to the challenges faced by women migrant workers are respectful of the agency of women and based on a labour rights approach;
Understandings of trafficking shift from a crime control framework, to one that acknowledges trafficking as the result of global economic trends, gender inequality, and the weakening of labour rights;
Spaces for intersectional, inter-movement dialogues are built upon a shared feminist, rights-based analysis of labour migration, and the collective power and voice of migrant and trafficked women;
The social and economic invisibility of women’s work is challenged, and the mobilisation, collective voice, bargaining power, and representation of women migrant and informal sector workers are supported.

GAATW-IS does this by:

Advocating for the human rights of migrant and trafficked women at regions and international policy forums;
Conducting and coordinating research on various understudied aspects of human trafficking, labour migration, or informal work;
Communicating critical analyses of human trafficking and its intersections with gender, labour, migration, and development;
Facilitating mutual exchanges and learning with and between Alliance members;
Making local issues internationally visible, and supporting members’ representation and contribution at local, regional and international forums;
Facilitating training and capacity building for Alliance members and partners.

About this position:

The Programme Officer Communications will play a key role in conveying GAATW's principles, analyses, and advocacy messages to the media, civil society, the general public, international and regional policymakers, and women migrant workers.

About you:

You have a critical understanding of the current labour migration and anti-trafficking regimes and the way they impact on the rights of all workers, especially women migrant workers. You have excellent comprehension and communication skills in English and can process a diverse range of publications and write for different audiences. You are a prolific reader and passionate about human rights, social justice, and feminist issues, and you understand the importance of prioritising the voices and experiences of affected communities. You have attention to detail and can take initiative as well as follow the guidance of other team members. You are excited about the possibility to join a dynamic multicultural team of feminists in Bangkok.

Tasks and responsibilities:

Together with other team members, review and implement the communications plan of the organisation in line with its strategic directions.
Ensure a wide reach of GAATW research findings, policy recommendations, and other communication materials.
Stay updated about project or event-related activities of the organisation and support or initiate advocacy-oriented communications in consultation with other team members.
Develop sharp and clear commentaries, press statements, op-eds, and other communication materials needed for timely response.
Actively monitor news related to anti-trafficking and labour migration issues and identify possible areas of collaborative work.
Review and proofread all publications produced by the organisation to ensure GAATW branding and that communication guidelines are followed.
Take the lead in organising media outreach and respond to media inquiries quickly and effectively.
Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to measure the results and impact of GAATW’s communications activities.
Support the GAATW International Secretariat in other related tasks (e.g., events, research, funding proposals and representation at international events).

Required skills and experience:

Post-graduate degree in journalism, communications, media or another social or political science field.
Three to five years of experience of writing about and advocating for human rights, especially rights of women migrant workers or other social justice issues.
In-depth knowledge and critical understanding of gender, migration, labour, and human trafficking from a human rights perspective.
Superior written and oral communications skills and a high level of competence in English. Ability to edit texts to an academic standard, as well as to write and edit in styles accessible for different audiences, such as NGOs, policymakers, or UN representatives.
Experience in providing communication support to colleagues working on thematic projects, including editing their reports and helping them write blogs, op-eds, or articles.
Ability to analyse, integrate and/or abridge information from varied sources and produce crisp and sharp communications.
Experience in using various social media platforms for knowledge sharing and networking.
Accountability and the ability to deliver on agreed tasks and timeline to a high standard.
Ability to work in a multicultural environment and with people from a diversity of regions, professional backgrounds, and levels of authority.
Ability to work independently and to meet deadlines.
Willingness to travel, as required.
Knowledge of other languages, such as French, Spanish, or Arabic, is an advantage.
Ability to use image or video processing software is an advantage.
Connections with relevant civil society organisations and social movements and experience in working at regional or international networks are an advantage.

Terms and benefits:

Contract: This is a full-time position. We offer a two-year contract with a three-month probation period. After the end of the two years, the contract may be extended contingent upon availability of funding and an assessment of the position.

Remuneration: 55,000 THB (approx. 1,550 USD) gross monthly salary with additional benefits such as housing allowance, relocation allowance, social security, medical fund, provident fund, an annual salary increase, and (contingent upon funding) a thirteenth month salary.

Location: Bangkok, Thailand.

How to apply

Download the application form, fill it, and send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line Programme Officer Communications by 28 April 2023 (Extended deadline), 09:00 am Bangkok time (ICT). Do not send a CV!

Due to the expected large number of applications, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Selected candidate to start: June/July 2023.

If you have any questions, you can use the email and subject line mentioned above.

Women Workers Demand Their Rights: South Asia Campaign to highlight the contributions and rights of women migrant workers

Written on 23 January 2023.

WWDR #WomenWorkersDemandTheirRights is a new GAATW initiative to highlight the value of women’s work in society and campaign for access of migrant workers to social security at home and abroad. It was launched as a South Asia regional campaign at an event in Kathmandu, Nepal in August 2022, by GAATW partners from Nepal, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

The campaign grew out of a recent Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) carried out by members and partners of GAATW on the issue of sustainable reintegration of women migrant workers. That research highlighted the challenges faced by many women migrant workers in the region upon their return, including poverty, lack of employment opportunities, and domestic violence. These are among the causes of their migration in the first place. Underlying these are deeply engrained patterns of stigma, rejection and discrimination, which the campaign aims to change. Its main goals are to promote the inclusion of women migrant workers in social security schemes, and to address the widespread discriminatory attitudes in societies, so that women workers can finally get the respect they deserve.

GAATW partners in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka have been carrying out a variety of public actions and activities under the banner of the campaign over the last three months, culminating in activities during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November to 10 December). On 18 December International Migrants Day, the campaign highlighted the themes of promoting women migrant workers’ respect and dignity, and the need to better support them with adequate social security programmes upon their return.

In addition, the campaign was strengthened by other specific actions at country level:

In Bangladesh, partner organisations were advancing campaign messages through local level work. This included demonstrations at local district offices, a street theatre on the themes of return and supporting women migrant workers’ dignity and respect in society, and coordinated photo stories. Bangladeshi partners also supported the country visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, providing crucial evidence and arranging meetings with survivors, which led to an official acknowledgement of the need for the government to address social stigma and discrimination against women migrants.

Indian partners targeted state governments with campaign-related messages. In Telangana, domestic workers demonstrated for various benefits to be made available to them. In Kerala, the National Domestic Workers Platform organised a large protest to present their key demands to the state government:

1) Recognition of the employer’s home as their workplace

2) Provision of minimum wage for domestic workers in all states of India

3) Social protection on par with workers in the organised sector

4) Decent housing for domestic workers

The Center for World Solidarity (CWS) produced different campaign posters to be used at local and regional levels.

In Nepal, partners organised a five-day advocacy training and national consultation workshop with returnee migrant women workers. The main advocacy themes included the lack of employment opportunities in Nepal and the demand for social security for women migrant workers. Different advocacy strategies and techniques, such as mass rallies, were also being planned.

In Sri Lanka, groups of returnee migrant women were trained in performing street theatre to raise awareness about campaign themes and increase the support and respect for women workers. Specific topics of the plays included women migrant workers’ contributions to the economy and their challenges faced during migration, as well as the hard lives of migrant domestic workers. In addition, a petition was delivered to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Employment, demanding improved social security provisions for women workers and giving specific recommendations on actions to be taken by the government, including the immediate implementation of the National Migrant Health Policy.

Invest in local communities to facilitate the socio-economic inclusion of migrants and survivors of trafficking

Written on 15 December 2022.

Statement by the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women

Ahead of International Migrants Day, 18 December, we call on governments, local authorities, and civil society to invest in local communities to facilitate the socioeconomic inclusion of migrants and survivors of trafficking and prevent their exploitation and abuse.

Over the past two years, GAATW, together with members and partners, conducted one of the largest pieces of global research in our history. We spoke with a total of 970 migrants and survivors of trafficking (953 women and 17 men) in 18 countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Our aim was to learn more about their experiences with socioeconomic inclusion in the destination country or upon return to the country of origin.

Time and time again, the women spoke about the importance of finding a community, either at home or abroad. Repeatedly, they brought up the positive and negative role that people in their surroundings – locals or co-nationals in the country of destination and family and community in the country of origin - play.

In countries of destination, settled communities of co-nationals were both a source of exploitation and support. Women described how their lack of legal status, limited language skills, or overt and covert racism from the local population meant that they could only find work through other migrants from their country or region. While they appreciated these job opportunities, their limited options also meant that they sometimes had to accept low-paid or exploitative jobs. One Chinese woman in Canada said, “Chinese people tend to take advantage of Chinese people. Because we are from the same origin, it’s easier to find [a job]. But the salaries they pay are mostly low.”

"Make women workers visible”: South Asia partners meeting of Women Workers Forum

Written on 17 October 2022.

The South Asia partners of GAATW’s Women Workers Forum met in Kathmandu, Nepal from 17 to 20 August. This was the second regional gathering of the programme after the Southeast Asia partners meeting in Bangkok in July.

Creating learning spaces and moving towards change: Southeast Asia partners meeting of Women Workers Forum

Written on 29 September 2022.

Group photo of the SouthEast Asia participants at the Women Workers Forum held in Bangkok in July 2022. Photo by Jennifer Janssen

In July, we organised a convening of the Southeast Asia partners of the Women Workers Forum (WWF) programme in Bangkok. The core aim of WWF is to create a supportive space for workers’ political education through peer-learning processes, which would aid in realising their rights at work and strengthen their self-organising. Building their collective strength and voices is a way to challenge the invisibilisation of women’s work in society. It is premised on the belief that women workers can set their own learning agendas and articulate their visions for change, with external agents such as NGOs only supporting the process. We hope that through the process of mutual learning and increasing awareness, women workers will be able to engage with the state, employers, and other stakeholders to make their demands for dignified work and living conditions. The programme’s partners span several countries across Southeast, South and West Asia.

Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women