Addressing exploitation of labour migrants in Southeast Asia: Beyond a counter-trafficking criminal justice response

Large numbers of young people in Southeast Asia seek work opportunities outside their country of origin, migrating both regularly and irregularly, and with little power to access or negotiate safe and fair migration and work conditions. The risk of exploitation is high.The potential for human trafficking in these situations has attracted
significant attention. Yet much of the response by regional governments and international donors has focused on identifying and prosecuting ‘traffickers’ rather than addressing the many vulnerabilities and forms of exploitation that many labour migrants experience. This thematic brief sets out a diversity of forms of exploitation that labour migrants in Southeast Asia experience, and the implications for how efforts to respond might need to adapt. This includes broadening beyond the dominant frame of criminal justice in order to address exploitation at scale and in a manner that is realistic about the prevailing political economy.

Addressing exploitation of labour migrants in Southeast Asia: Beyond a counter-trafficking criminal justice response- Australian Aid, 2023 DOWNLOAD

The Global Initiative & RESPECT at EU Anti-Trafficking Day Conference

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When: October 29, 2018 all-day

Where: Hofburg, Vienna, Austria

On the occasion of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day, one of the RESPECT founding organisations, the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime co-organized a high-level conference on “Human Trafficking and Human Rights – Access to Rights for Victims of Human Trafficking” with...

TAGS: Europe

Legislative Scrutiny: Bill of Rights Bill: Ninth Report of Session 2022–23

News & Analysis

The Bill of Rights Bill repeals and replaces the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA). It is a major reform of the human rights framework. The Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP, has described the Bill as “the next c...Read More

TAGS: Europe

“We work like robots”: Discrimination and Exploitation of Migrant Workers in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Hotels

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“Here, the salary is not about what you bring to the table. I will never get the same salary as an Arab colleague. There is a lot of discrimination against people from Africa. We are only hired in some types of jobs - security, housekeeping, the k...Read More

TAGS: Tourism, Hospitality & Recreational Services Middle East

Designing Labour Migration Policies to Promote Decent Work

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National migration policies across Europe continue to offer decent labour migration opportunities largely to workers with offers for highly-paid employment or for very specific skills shortages. Accessible and decent labour migration pathways across...Read More

TAGS: Due Diligence Reporting Domestic Work/ Servitude Manufacturing Europe