Ending child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains

Promoting fair recruitment is a critical priority in the context of both international and internal migration. As discussed in PART 1, a key finding of recent ILO research is that recruitment abuses – and in particular the payment of illegal recruitment fees and related costs – are one of the main ways in which forced labour and human trafficking enters supply chains.

The adoption of laws and regulations to help ensure that workers and jobseekers are not charged recruitment or related costs, or subjected to other recruitment-related abuses – addressed in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and international legal standards – is therefore critical to broader efforts against forced labour and human trafficking.

Promoting fair and effective labour migration policies in agriculture and rural areas

Migrant workers make an important contribution to the growth and development of rural areas, and more particularly the agriculture sector. However, they face pervasive decent work deficits, which include informality; a lack of opportunities for skills development and recognition, income security, social protection coverage and portability of benefits; and exposure to work-related accidents. Furthermore, they are vulnerable to forced and child labour, human trafficking and unethical recruitment, and – especially in the case of migrant women workers – experience discriminatory treatment.

The ILO endeavours to forge policies to maximize the benefits of labour migration for rural economies around the world, while ensuring the good governance of labour migration and the respect of human and labour rights.

Reporting on forced labour and fair recruitment: An ILO toolkit for journalists

This toolkit provides information and advice to media professionals on how to report accurately and effectively on forced labour and fair recruitment. The toolkit includes the Media-friendly glossary on migration.

This toolkit is available in: Arabic, English, French, Spanish.

The toolkit has been adapted to the national context in:

• Mongolia (English and Mongolian)

• Nepal (English)

• Nigeria (forthcoming)

• Pakistan (English)

• Sri Lanka (English, Sinhala and Tamil)

• Uganda (forthcoming)

• Uzbekistan (English and Uzbek)

• Viet Nam (English, Vietnamese).

Click on each language to open the corresponding toolkit.

The Montreal recommendations on recruitment: A road map towards better regulation

This resource presents policymakers and regulators with practical guidance and ideas to improve regulation and oversight of international recruitment and protection of migrant workers. It covers a broad range of themes, including the following:

a) recruitment fees;

b) licensing and registration of labour recruiters;

c) inspections and enforcement;

d) access to grievance mechanisms and dispute resolution;

e) bilateral and multilateral mechanisms; and

f) migrant welfare and assistance.

The guidance results from a global conference held in Montreal, Canada, that brought together leading experts and practitioners from more than 30 countries around the world. It reflects an important milestone in global efforts to promote ethical recruitment.

Plan de acción de la Procuraduría de los Derechos Humanos (PDH) para el abordaje integral de la migración laboral y contratación equitativa

Este plan de acción identifica elementos para contribuir a la institucionalización y coordinación de intervenciones sobre migración laboral y contratación equitativa desde un enfoque coordinado entre las distintas unidades de la PDH y desde el liderazgo de la Defensoría de Personas Migrantes.

Promising practices for fair recruitment

Establishment of the National Union of Malagasy Domestic Workers (SENAMAMA) 

Code of Conduct for Ethiopian Overseas Private Employment Agencies 

Recruitment of health workers through bilateral labour agreements (BLAs): Kenya and the United Kingdom 

Madagascar alignment of labour code to newly ratified conventions 

Regulation of Private Recruitment Agencies in Uganda 

Law amendment concerning management of migrant workers in Thailand 

Revision of the Law on Contract-Based Overseas Workers 

Italian National Action Plan to tackle labour exploitation, unlawful recruitment and forced labour in agriculture 

Nepal – Bilateral labour agreements include provisions related to fair recruitment  

Bangladesh – Government capacity enhanced to promote fair recruitment in bilateral negotiations and arrangements 

Tunisia – Formation of a new body of inspectors for the recruitment industry  

India – Blacklisting employers and recruiters abroad to protect Indian migrant workers  

Piloting fair recruitment from Bangladesh to Qatar in the construction sector  

Fair recruitment pilot between Nepal and Jordan in the garment sector  

Mexico - Fair recruitment practice by recruitment agency adapted to COVID-19  

Code of Conduct on the fair recruitment of Filipino migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong (China)  

Code of Conduct in international supply chains by Responsible Business Alliance 

Commitment to fair recruitment and due diligence in the sugar and palm oil industry of Guatemala   (English) Guatemala – Compromiso con la contratación equitativa y la debida diligencia en el sector guatemalteco del azúcar y el aceite de palma (Español)

Zero recruitment fee policy for (migrant) workers in Jordan 

Guatemala – Outreach through trade unions including attention to COVID-19 (English) Guatemala – Difusión a través de los sindicatos, incluida la atención a la COVID-19 (Español)

Raising Pakistani migrant worker’s awareness of their right to fair recruitment

ILO Fair Recruitment Initiative Strategy 2021-2025. Taking stock, moving forward

The Fair Recruitment Initiative (FRI) was launched in 2014 as part of the ILO Fair Migration Agenda. Since its launch, the FRI has been critical to ILO’s work in the area of national and international recruitment of workers and has added renewed impetus and visibility to this important topic. The 2021-2025 Strategy will continue to be grounded in relevant international labour standards (ILS), global guidance, and social dialogue between governance institutions and actors of the labour market.

Trade union action to promote fair recruitment for migrant workers

This brief highlights trade union action to promote and protect fair recruitment for migrant workers through actions including policy advocacy, service provision and outreach.

10 good practices for a fair recruitment - CIERTO: Agency dedicated to the fair recruitment of agricultural workers

The fact sheets that integrate this document present ten recruitment Good Practices implemented by CIERTO and their relationship to the ILO General Principles and Operational Guidelines. Each one describes its procedure, establishes its direct and indirect benefits and describes its alignment with these General Principles.

With this document, CIERTO seeks to divulge effective and alternative models of labour migration recruitment in compliance with labour rights, laws and regulations that have a strong impact on the recruitment of migrant workers.

It represents a technical cooperation exercise that reflects on efforts to improve fair and ethical recruitment.

Establishing Fair Recruitment Processes: An ILO online training toolkit

In cooperation with ITC-ILO, the REFRAME project has produced a comprehensive modular training manual on fair recruitment to support its constituents to design, support and implement fair recruitment practices.

This training course is available as an interactive version (online) and as individual downloadable modules (PDF). It contains five modules covering different aspects of fair recruitment. This training manual is available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.