Fiji’s women migrant workers and human rights:the case of nurses and teachers in the Republic of Marshall Islands

Abstract
Fiji’s international labour migration studies are dominated by research on skilled mobility to metropolitan countries. By way of countering this emphasis, this paper focuses on human rights issues affecting women migrant workers who for employment reasons have moved from Fiji Islands to the Marshall Islands, as an example of intra-Pacific labour migration.The paper examines four types of migrant rights—civil, social, political and industrial—and in particular, critiques the effectiveness of the Convention on the
Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) regarding the rights of migrant women workers.The Fiji women nurses and teachers in the Marshall Islands are awarded all four types of rights. Nevertheless, the general lack of information and awareness of this type of protection, an absence of appropriate institutions and structures, and the non-ratification
of CEDAW by the Marshall Islands government are barriers against the recognition and enjoyment of these rights. The paper concludes with issues, problems and solutions towards realisation of rights for Fiji’s women migrant workers.