Events

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This event is brought to you by Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, with funding from Migrating Out of Poverty Research Programme Consortium, and *SCAPE as a Programme Partner.

Construction is one of the world’s largest industrial sectors, providing an important source of employment globally, especially for low-income and low-skilled migrants from rural areas. It is, however, one of the most precarious forms of work – traditionally known as being “dirty, dangerous, and difficult” – which is compounded by flexible labour market policies that has made it increasingly temporary and insecure. In this public symposium, we discuss regional trends and issues in migration for construction work in South Asia and Singapore, as well as its impacts on development and poverty. To what extent is migration for construction work precarious, and how does it impact migrants and their families back home? These are some questions that the symposium seeks to address. The event also includes a short film screening and multimedia presentation by Beyond the Border, Behind the Men (BTBBTM) on the livelihoods of return migrants in Bangladesh who have previously worked in Singapore’s construction industry, as well as the migration journey that Bangladeshi men undertake to secure a job in Singapore. 

CHAIRPERSON

Professor Brenda Yeoh, National University of Singapore

SPEAKERS

Dr C.R. Abrar, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
on “Impacts of Labour Migration to the Construction Sector on Poverty: A Comparative Analysis of Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka”

Ms Grace Baey, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore
on “Migration and Precarious Work: Findings from a Survey on Bangladeshi Migrant Workers in Singapore’s Construction Industry”

DISCUSSANT

Mr John Gee, Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), Singapore

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

C.R. ABRAR is Professor of International Relations at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has postgraduate degrees in International Relations from the University of Dhaka and University of Sussex, UK and a doctorate in Asian Studies from Griffith University, Australia. Dr Abrar has worked extensively on issues concerning refugees, migrants, minorities and displaced people. He has several publications in peer reviewed journals and books to his credit. In 1995, along with a few colleagues, he founded the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) at the University of Dhaka. Since its inception, the Unit has been actively engaged in the framing of national laws on migration, female labour migration, overseas employment policy, and the revision of emigration laws in Bangladesh. Under Dr Abrar’s stewardship, RMMRU has been at the forefront in securing the citizenship rights of the Bihari linguistic minority of the country.

Grace BAEY is Research and Communications Officer at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. She is Co-Investigator of the research project entitled “Migration and Precarious Work: Negotiating Debt, Employment and Livelihood Strategies amongst Bangladeshi Migrant Men working in Singapore’s Construction Industry”, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) under the Migrating out of Poverty Research Programme Consortium. Her research interests include transnational labour migration in Southeast Asia, recruitment practices, gender and migration, identity politics, and international political economy. She holds an MA in Geography from Queen’s University, Kingston ON.

John GEE was a member of The Working Committee Two in 2003, and from then on worked in support of a weekly day off for all domestic workers. He was Vice President of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) from 2004 to 2006, and President from 2007 to 2011. In this capacity, he acted as a public spokesperson for the organisation, edited its newsletter, and participated in many areas of the society’s work. He currently chairs the society’s research sub-committee.

The symposium includes a short film screening and multimedia presentation by Beyond the Border, Behind the Men (BTBBTM).
Beyond the Border, Behind the Men (BTBBTM) is an arts initiative started by three friends to celebrate the otherwise invisible and anonymous migrant workers in our midst. Since 2012, they have put together two film screenings, a fund-raising music event, and a drama production tackling migrant worker issues. “Gone Home” which follows the profile of two return Bangladeshi migrants will be their second short film.

ARI ASIA TRENDS 2014 SERIES

ASIA TRENDS is an ARI flagship public outreach event. This annual series of public lectures is an opportunity for ARI to connect with the local Singapore community through informing and interacting with various public sectors (citizenry, government), civil society organizations, businesses, universities and colleges, by presenting cutting edge research on major trends in Asia. Some trends examined in the past include “Confucian China in a Changing World Order,” “Tsai Ming-liang and a Cinema of Slowness,” “Here Today and Tomorrow: Transnational Domestic Workers and the Decent Work Agenda in Asia,” “Demystifying Stereotypes on Asian Education Systems,” and “’Male Modernity’, Puritanism, and the Southeast Asian City.” Each ARI research cluster hosts an evening talk, during which an overseas speaker, who is a prominent researcher or scholar, is invited to examine an emerging trend in that research field; a Singapore-based researcher then provides comments on local development with regard to the relevant trend. Past seminars have witnessed some interesting interaction between speakers and commentators; some have also seen lively audience participation in the discussions. ASIA TRENDS showcase the work of ARI’s research clusters, highlights the relevance of ARI’s research to Singapore, and relates Singapore to the rest of Asia from the perspective of significant trends in the region.

PROGRAMME

6:30pm  Registration (light refreshments provided)
7:00pm  Welcome remarks by Professor Brenda Yeoh
7:05pm  Short film screening and multimedia presentation by Beyond the Border, Behind the Men
7:20pm  Presentation by Dr C.R. Abrar
7:45pm  Presentation by Ms Grace Baey
8:05pm  Commentary by Mr John Gee
8:15pm  Question & Answer Session
8:30pm  End of event

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