Credit: Jonathan Moore, www.jonathanmoorephotography.com, Instagram: @jdcmoore
On 18th of December, we celebrate International Migrants Day. On this day, created to honour the contributions of people who have moved, leaving behind their homes and communities, we call attention to the abuses that migrant workers around the world face. Millions of workers are experiencing exploitative recruitment, poor working conditions, and a disregard for their right. Governments must take urgent action to prevent this terrible abuse.
Today, we celebrate millions of people who left their country of origin hoping to find safety and better opportunities. Migration is a courageous act. Being far from loved ones and the comforts of home is bittersweet, but it can open doors to experiences of new cultures and friendships.
However, migrant workers often face restrictions to their human rights. This can lead to exploitation that ultimately taints their experiences of migration. The Global Estimates of Modern Slavery recognise that migrant workers are at greater risk of forced labour than the local workforce. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) outlined some of the reasons, including deceitful recruitment, vulnerability arising from their legal status and dependence on their employer. People who have migrated often face discrimination, xenophobia and isolation that collectively can increase risks of severe exploitation.
The challenges migrant workers face
Migrant workers are essential to the economies of many countries. The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 2024 report on international migrants in the labour force notes that international migrant workers play a crucial role in the global labour market. For example, the UK and Italy are reliant on migrant workers to make sure there are enough fruits and vegetables to feed the population. Gulf countries, like Qatar and Saudi Arabia, rely on migrant workers for major international sports events that attract fans from all over the world.
Despite their contributions, migrant workers are too often treated as disposable. Recruiters will exploit them by charging excessive fees. This can lead to debt bondage, forcing workers to pay off debts with no control over their work conditions. With new work systems, languages, and few options, workers are often forced to accept exploitative situations. Business owners often take advantage of the vulnerabilities migrant workers face to keep them in forced labour. These challenges are heightened by the fact that governments have not only failed to introduce adequate protections but, in many cases, have created actively hostile policies.
A lack of effective complaint systems and accountability for exploiters creates harmful environments. As a result, migrant workers may be unable or too afraid to come forward. This is made worse when people’s right to live and work in a country depends on their employer. It can trap them in situations that they cannot leave or place them at risk of deportation. For example, this is the case for migrant workers in the United Arab Emirates under the “kafala” system and migrant workers under care visas in the UK. In these cases, government policy has actively contributed to migrant workers being more at risk of severe exploitation.
But, despite all the evidence and reports, migrant workers are still being harmed.
Governments must implement protections for migrant workers
“Under the kafala system, my father required the company’s approval to leave the country. Seera’s management declined his request and instead devised a scheme to force him to keep working, without pay […]. He was trapped doing this forced, unpaid labor for six months, from March until September 2020, when his work visa expired. […] He had to borrow money from friends to feed himself and keep a roof over his head. This humiliating abuse was inflicted on a man who had spent four decades of his life working in Saudi Arabia, but was discarded like a piece of trash, as if his work meant nothing, as if he himself was disposable.”
- Ahmed Abdulumer
Sadly, many migrant workers share similar experiences to those described above by Mr. Ahmed Abdul Majeed, whose son continues to seek justice. Migrant workers faced extreme threats in the build-up to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022, with the added insult that the football final was held on International Migrants Day of that year. People trying to build their lives in new countries should not be stuck in conditions that cost them their rights and, at times, their lives. This injustice cannot be allowed to continue in the lead-up to the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
“If the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not urgently address the exploitative labour and human rights conditions in the country, millions of migrant workers – who are building the infrastructure and providing services for this large-scale event – may continue to suffer the consequences. Despite labour reforms in 2021, investigations show that very little has changed on the ground, and the severe exploitation of migrant workers is rampant. What else needs to happen for FIFA to uphold World Cup hosts to international labour and human rights standards?”
- Chloe Cranston, Anti-Slavery International Head of Thematic Advocacy Programmes
We urge governments to pass laws that centre the human and labour rights of migrant workers and remove the “hostility” from immigration laws and practices. This means introducing laws that force companies to respect human rights and international labour standards.
This International Migrants Day, we also urge you to take part in the movement. Join us in building a world that recognises the contributions of migrant workers, and where everyone enjoys a life of dignity, regardless of where they work or live.