Fair recruitment
Reported abuses involve one or more of the following: deception about the nature and conditions of work; retention of passports; illegal wage deductions; debt bondage linked to repayment of recruitment fees; threats if workers want to leave their employers, coupled with fears of subsequent expulsion from a country. A combination of these abuses can amount to human trafficking and forced labour. Despite the existence of international labour standards relating to recruitment, national laws and their enforcement often fall short of protecting the rights of workers, and migrant workers in particular.
In response to those challenges, the ILO launched a global “Fair Recruitment Initiative” to:
- help prevent human trafficking and forced labour;
- protect the rights of workers, including migrant workers, from abusive and fraudulent practices during the recruitment process (including pre-selection, selection, transportation, placement and possibility to return);
- reduce the cost of labour migration and enhance development outcomes for migrant workers and their families, as well as for countries of origin and destination.