Reducing vulnerability to forced labor and trafficking of short-term, low-skilled women migrant workers in the South Asia to Middle East corridor

Hagar ElDidi, Chloe van Biljon, Muzna Alvi, Claudia Ringler, Nazmun Ratna, Sawsan Abdulrahim, Patrick Kilby, Joyce Wu and Zahid ul Arefin Choudhury

No 2049, IFPRI discussion papers from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Abstract: Millions of female migrants experience various forms of exploitative and unsafe conditions when migrating for employment and income generation, both in countries of origin and in destination countries. Vulnerabilities increased further due to the Covid-19 pandemic, causing income and job losses, entrapment in countries of destination without financial or social support and stigmatization upon return. One of the key migration routes travelled by millions of migrants is from South Asia to the Middle East. We examine this migration route for low-skilled female migrant workers highlighting the impacts of interventions along the migration pathway to determine the effectiveness of alternative mechanisms for reducing forced labour and trafficking. We draw lessons from the literature as well as from interviews with key informants in the field, including academics, development partners, NGO workers, and policymakers, to identify promising interventions that successfully reduce the vulnerability of women migrants. We find that, while Covid-19 has increased migrant vulnerability, it has also exposed the current system’s violations in facilitating trafficking and exacerbating poor working conditions.

Keywords: migrant labour; policies; covid-19; vulnerability; human trafficking; labour; migration; compulsory labour; workforce; working conditions; women; Southern Asia; Africa; Asia; Middle East (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ara, nep-his and nep-mig
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fpr:ifprid:2049

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