Sri Lanka, July 5 -- The government should set up a proper structure to protect migrant workers' rights and to effectively act on their behalf, as the migrant workers' contribution to the economy is enormous.

About two million migrant workers contribute eight billion US dollars to the national economy annually where the work remittances account for between eight to 10 percent of Sri Lanka's GDP. This is the sector which has consistently brought foreign remittances to the country for over a decade.

However at present, labour migration is not discussed and debated enough, worker rights are not upheld, economic and social implications are less effective and migrant workers are not given voting rights. "But countries such as India, Philippi...