Safe Labour Migration Program

The Safe Labour Migration Programme (SLMP) has been implemented in Sri Lanka since 2010 with the funding and technical support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and in collaboration with the State Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Market Diversification.

Grassroots Mobilization for Safe Labour Migration Project (GMSLMP) is implemented by VOICE Area Federation since 2021 in Puttalam district with the objectives to; 1) Enable and empower migrant worker societies to address needs of migrant workers and their families to have improved community resilience and 2) Duty bearers (government stakeholders and foreign employment agencies) work collaboratively following a migrant-worker centered approach to maximize the benefits for migrant workers and their families.

Strategic actions:

  • Promotion and strengthening village level self-help group concept
  • Building the capacity of grassroots level stakeholders to become community counselors and change agents.
  • Establishing divisional level migrant workers’ forums, a district level migrant workers’ federation and link it to the national level migrant workers’ movement.
  • Establishing an online knowledge management system at all levels (Grama Niladhari Division (GND), Divisional Secretary Division (DSD) and the district levels.

Key interventions;

  • Formation of village level migrant worker self-help groups and strengthening them to obtain services from relevant stakeholders,
  • Enabling and strengthening migrant worker societies at GND level to address needs of migrant workers and their families 
  • Improving the capacity of 1200 migrant worker families (prospective job seekers, in-service migrant workers, returnees and their family members) on safe labour migration
  • Community/public sensitization/awareness on safe labour migration targeting 2000 migrant workers