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.

 

 

 

Promising practices for fair recruitment

This list presents a series of promising fair recruitment practices and results from a stocktaking exercise undertaken five years after the launch of the Fair Recruitment Initiative (FRI).

 

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

 

IOM-MPI Issue in Brief No. 1 - Labour Migration from Colombo Process Countries: Good practices, challenges and ways forward

International migration has occurred throughout history and regions of the world. Human mobility to, from and within Asia, however, has certain distinctive features, and Asia represents arguably the most dynamic region, with significant intra- and extra-regional migration and some countries being simultaneously origins of and destinations for migrants. 

The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific today launched an issue briefs series focusing in particular on labour migration in the region. The eight-part series also will examine diaspora engagement in Asia and climate-induced migration.

The first issue brief, Labour Migration from the Colombo Process Countries, examines labour migration from the 11 Colombo Process countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam). In 2010, an estimated 4.2 million workers migrated from these countries through official channels, many leaving on a temporary basis to work in the Middle East. 

The Philippines sent the largest number (nearly 1.5 million), followed by India (641,000) and Indonesia (576,000). Overall, an estimated 44.7 million migrants from the region are living outside their country of origin. 

Since 2005, the Colombo Process countries have taken concrete, proactive steps to manage the migration flows and protect their citizens working abroad, strengthening their legislative and administrative frameworks addressing recruitment regulation and welfare protection, as well as signing new accords with key destination countries. Despite the progress, however, the brief details a number of remaining challenges and highlights 10 possible areas of focus for governments.

“Governments in Colombo Process countries face a formidable task: creating efficient and equitable migration systems that benefit labour migrants and their families while contributing to long-term economic growth and development in countries of origin and destination,” said Andy Bruce, IOM regional director for Asia and the Pacific.

In June, IOM and MPI will publish the second issue brief, this one focusing on migrant health issues in the Asia-Pacific region. Subsequent briefs will be published every month through December, and will be available at IOM Online Bookstore and Migration Policy Institute.

 

Female labour migration from Pakistan: A situation analysis

This report examines patterns and characteristics of female labour migration from Pakistan, and provides recommendations to ensure that women have equal opportunities for safe and fair migration.

This study aims to further examine the patterns and characteristics of female migration for employment from Pakistan and explores specifically why the number of Pakistani female migrant workers remains so low. The findings and recommendations of this study will guide the interventions of the ILO, the Government of Pakistan and social partners towards fair recruitment of migrant workers, including women migrant workers, in line with the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) (2016-20) for Pakistan, and the ILO’s Fair Recruitment Initiative.

 

 

Where to go for help: Pakistani migrant workers’ access to justice at home and in Gulf Cooperation Council countries

This report examines the legal framework and complaints mechanisms available for Pakistani migrant workers at home and in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It identified bottlenecks in the grievance-handling process and potential ways to improve it to provide a speedy, accessible, less costly and just remedy to migrant workers.

Recruitment Monitoring & Migrant Welfare Assistance: What Works?

As numbers of temporary labour migrants have rapidly increased over the past four decades, facilitating international migration has become a highly profitable and multi-faceted business. Human rights defenders, civil society organisations, journalists and academics have consistently exposed exploitation of migrants which occurs during recruitment processes. Abuses include high recruitment fees that lead to debt bondage, the processing of fake employment and immigration documents, confiscation of identity documents, and emotional and physical violence, or even trafficking for forced labour. On arriving in many destination countries migrants are left unprotected and vulnerable to more exploitation.

This study, conducted by an international research team between January and April 2014, reviews existing recruitment monitoring mechanisms and migrants’ access to rights and welfare assistance across Colombo Process Member States (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam), and key destination states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen).  With analysis presented thematically, the report concludes with a series of recommendations for Colombo Process governments.