International Migrants Alliance Asia Pacific

27/09/2026

Mary Jane is Free! Now We Must Free All Mary Janes!

IMA Asia Pacific Statement on the Pardon of Mary Jane Veloso
25th September 2026

After more than 15 years of imprisonment and on death row, Mary Jane Veloso has finally been granted absolute pardon and is free to return to her family and community. But Mary Jane's case exposes a much bigger injustice: the conditions that force millions of Filipinos to leave their families and communities behind in search of work abroad.

Mary Jane came from a poor family in the Philippines. Like most Filipino migrant workers, she sought opportunities overseas because decent and secure livelihoods were not available to her at home. Before her arrest in Indonesia, she had already gone to the United Arab Emirates to earn money for her children. She was then recruited to go to Indonesia for what she believed was a job as a domestic worker.

Instead, she was deceived by people she trusted and sent across borders carrying a suitcase containing he**in sewn into its seams. She was arrested in Yogyakarta in April 2010, convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to death. She spent 15 years in jail, separated from her children and facing ex*****on.

Mary Jane's survival was won through mass struggle and perseverance of her fellow kababayan (country people) back home in the Philippines and abroad. Her family, migrant organisations, women's groups, lawyers, human-rights defenders, church groups and activists in the Philippines, Indonesia and around the world mobilised to save her life. Migrante International, Beranda Migran, Gabriela and other organisations led a global campaign that generated hundreds of thousands of supporters.

That movement helped prevent her ex*****on in 2015. In December 2024, after further campaigning for her to return to the Philippines and give clemency, Mary Jane was transferred back to the Philippines. Now, in September 2026, she has received an absolute pardon.

Mary Jane is home and free. But why did she have to leave the Philippines in the first place? No Filipino should have to gamble their life and safety to provide for their children. No mother should have to leave her family because decent work, livelihood and social security are unavailable at home. Gabriela has likewise described her case as a reflection of a system that pushes Filipinos abroad because of poverty, low wages and the lack of decent jobs.

It is not enough to make labour migration "safer." We must also make staying home possible. The Philippine government must create decent and secure jobs, living wages, good living conditions, public services and genuine opportunities so that Filipinos are not forced to leave their families and communities just to survive. But instead, the government continues to promote the export of Filipino workers to countries which abuse, exploit and even kill them. The issue is deeper than the protection of workers abroad. Filipinos must have the right to a decent life without being forced to become migrant workers in the first place.

Mary Jane is free. Now we must free all the Mary Janes.There are still millions of migrant workers who continue to face exploitation, trafficking, discrimination, abuse, detention and separation from their families. We must free all migrants from a system that tells them their only path to a decent life is to leave their own country.

Mary Jane's freedom was won through persistent collective action. Let us turn that victory into a movement for the freedom of all migrant workers—and for the right of everyone to live in their own homeland.

# #

29/08/2026

29/08/2026

Migrants and Workers Unite: End Fascism, Modern Slavery and Oppression!

Declaration of the IMA Asia Pacific Conference on Migration, Modern Slavery and Workers’ Solidarity

We, the participants of the IMA Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Migration, Modern Slavery and Workers’ Solidarity, representing a total of 33 grassroots migrant organizations, unions, women’s organizations and migrant advocates from 16 countries and country regions unite on our central declaration.

We are workers, we are not slaves.

Hundreds of millions of workers are forced to migrate due to poverty and displacement, the aftermath of economic and political ruin caused by the imposition of decades of neoliberal economic restructuring on the economies of the Global South. Migrant workers face a labor market designed to make them disposable, despite their essential role in running the economy of receiving countries, and invaluable contribution to their sending country.

The systematic design of labor migration excludes migrant workers from the fundamental labor rights in the host countries, creating a vulnerable, lower tier of workers. Migrant workers are in precarious employment, receive lower wages despite performing the same work, not covered by existing social protection and other core labor standards. Migrant workers are forced to endure slave-like working conditions in order to earn an income for their families.

The existing migration regime benefits only a few. Governments, recruitment agencies, and criminal gangs of the sending countries profits from the migrant workers. Corporations, capitalists and governments of the receiving countries profits from the migrant workers.

We seek to end modern-day slavery

- We will build, organize and expand grassroots mass movements, dedicated in ending modern-day slavery
- We will conduct political education, rigorous and exhaustive research, and organize study groups to arm all workers with the knowledge and critical consciousness needed to lead this struggle.
- We will foster international solidarity, solidarity across different sectors, forge cooperation between migrant organizations, workers organizations, trade unions and other social movements

“Thousands of years it took to break the chains of slavery. Ending modern-day slavery, we declare, not a day more.”

28/08/2026

IMA Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Migration, Modern Slavery and Workers’ Solidarity
Summary Article

On August 9 and 10 in Bangkok, Thailand, the IMA Asia-Pacific convened a two-day conference that brought together migrant worker leaders and allies to deepen our understanding of modern-day slavery of migrant workers, and how to fight against it.

The first day opened with keynotes from Noel Colina, regional coordinator of the International League of Peoples Struggles (ILPS) Asia-Pacific; and Jerome Adonis, chairperson of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).

Colina explained how imperialism creates conditions that force workers to migrate, governments institutionalise labour trafficking through labour export and import policies, and both governments and employers profit from migrants’ precarious status.

Adonis emphasised that migrant workers and local workers share common interests. Employers benefit when migrant workers are paid less and denied rights because this weakens labour standards for all workers. Therefore, solidarity between migrant and local workers, as well as cooperation across borders, is crucial to advancing our movement.

Participants explored how policies and practices contribute to the modern slavery of migrants, and the intensifying state control, violence, repression, and fascist attacks experienced by migrants and workers. Breakout sessions provided an opportunity for participants to deepen their analysis and share experiences.

The first day concluded with a migrant community visit, where participants met with members of a Filipino migrant workers’ organisation in Bangkok. The organisation supports and organises overseas Filipino workers, builds their capacity, and develops campaigns and welfare programs addressing issues faced by migrant workers. Participants were divided into small groups to engage in conversations with migrant workers, who shared their experiences and perspectives as teachers, tutor-nannies, domestic workers and musicians.

The exchange provided participants with a grounded understanding of the realities faced by Filipino migrant workers and the importance of migrant-led organising and solidarity.

The second day focused on strengthening workers’ solidarity. Discussions highlighted existing and emerging efforts by migrant and local workers to organise, build networks, and campaign against modern-day slavery in their regions. Through breakout discussions and report backs, participants shared experiences, explored ways to strengthen our organisations, and identified opportunities for greater cooperation.

The conference concluded with a discussion of next steps, the sharing of a collective declaration, and a synthesis of the key lessons and commitments emerging from the two days. The conference developed strategies and tactics to further advance our community organising, international solidarity and united action with all workers.

22/08/2026

Ang hirap ng kalagayan nating mga OFW dito sa Japan, 'no? Dahil sa visa o status, language barrier, racism, at dahil naka-depende rin sa employer pati na rin tirahan, marami tayong mga nararanasang hindi kanais-nais.

Dagdag pa diyan ang racism o xenophobia. Pinapalabas nito na ang mga gaikokujin daw ay mga kriminal, threat, o pabigat sa lipunan.

Ang ending? Nagkakawatak-watak ang mga Japanese at mga gaikokujin habang ang tunay na problema gaya ng
mababang sahod, bullying, at unfair working conditions ay binabalewala na lang.

Kaya pag-usapan natin kung saan ba nagmumula ang napakaraming usapin at issue tungkol sa atin, mga foreigner, dito sa Japan—mula sa pabago-bagong immigration policies at toxic work conditions, hanggang sa karanasan ng mga migrant communities at mga organisasyon—
lahat ’yan pag-uusapan,
kaya kita-kita tayo sa August 29 (Sabado) sa Shinbashi Kumin-kan!

Date: 8/29 Saturday
Time: 14:30 - 17:00 (Registration open from 13:30)
Location: Shinbabashi Kumin-kan

Mag-message lang kung may tanong!

09/03/2026

02/03/2026

11/12/2025

10/12/2025