Word: laborers
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...could last several years and would start as early as age 16. In many cases, the apprentice was dependent upon the master for food, clothing and a place to live, though this idea eventually disappeared. As the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century began a trend away from skilled labor toward general factory work, apprenticeships largely died out, replaced by vocational schooling. Apprenticeships in some industries reappeared in the 20th century and are now regulated by trade unions and laws. The National Apprenticeship Act, passed in 1937, led to the establishment of the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training...
...However, some experts say privately that Indonesia's move may be a temporary gesture to please constituents during an election year. "There's greater attention being paid and more reporting and willingness of police and governments to take action in these cases," says Alan Boulton, Director of the International Labor Organization's Jakarta office. "NGOs have been able to bring attention [to] abuse cases...
...International Organization for Migration (ILO) in Bangkok. The Philippines - one of the world's largest migrant-sending countries - has set up worker-resource centers in destination countries to help distressed workers find help while they're overseas. Thailand, both a source and sending country for migrant labor, also offers consular services for its workers overseas, many who have suffered at the hands of human traffickers...
...While many migrant-sending countries sign MOUs with employing nations as a way to build relations and bridge differences between labor laws, some migration experts are skeptical about their efficacy as typically, MOUs are nonbinding agreements. "They are written in very, very general terms," says Maruja Asis, research director at the Scalabrini Migration Center in Manila. "The implementation has been very problematic." Some experts say that MOUs can even harm migrants because they create a hierarchy of protection based on ethnicity or type of work. Host countries can be selective with which origin countries they will forge MOUs, creating situations...
...Human-rights and local migrant groups sharply criticized Indonesia's 2006 MOU with Malaysia for failing to include widespread human-rights protections, including a clear minimum wage, a weekly holiday or stringent monitoring mechanisms for labor agencies - often the source of abuse and fraud. Labor and migrant-rights groups hope this summer's revisions will beef up mechanisms to better protect migrant workers. Next summer, domestic workers will also feature high on the agenda at the annual International Labor Conference in Geneva where participants will try to develop international labor rights for domestic workers...