Voices - Conversations on Business and Human Rights from Around the World IHRB, Institute for Human Rights and Business

Reuters reported in April this year that roughly 85,000 of the 172,000 migrants at the southern US border were from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. And the IOM states that from January to August of this year 70,074 were deported from Mexico and the US back to Central America. Add onto those figures, the thousands of workers who enter the US on seasonal worker visas and then return home, it is clear there are a huge number of migrants who are returning to Central America under a variety of circumstances. While there is no system currently in place to monitor what happens to migrants when they return, we do know that returnees are particularly at risk of poverty, violence, and victimization.

Saul Diaz Ortiz, Regional Director of the SwissContact is addressing the unique needs of returning migrants through partnerships with individuals, communities, government, and business, thanks to the Nuevas Oportunidades project. Listen to his experience when identifying and boosting the economy of the countries of origin of returning migrants when they are properly integrated into society.

In this special episode of Voices, IHRB’s Haley St. Dennis and John Morrison unpack the concept and study of dystopian and utopian thinking throughout history, in search of guidance for how to think about and tackle the climate crisis. Feeding into the discussion is Dr. Danilo Palazzo, an academic expert on the subject of utopias, who emphasises the usefulness of utopian thinking as a response to dystopian realities, particularly their value in crafting blue-sky solutions and forcing problem-solvers to think beyond present generations’ needs. 

Remediation programmes have the potential to strengthen existing human rights due diligence, compliance, and broader ESG policies first by involving workers in the detection and resolution of any human rights grievance and then by providing consistent feedback on the success of these human rights policies.

In this IHRB Voices podcast Archana Kotecha Director of the Remedy Project discusses with Neill Wilkins IHRB new guidelines for ensuring access to remedy for migrant workers.

Digital platforms for migration can be a great tool for promoting transparency of recruitment processes for migrant workers and businesses trying to recruit workforce. They may also encourage improved government oversight of recruitment in countries of origin and destination.

In this episode of Voices Sophia Kagan, ILO Chief Technical Adviser on Fair Migration in the Middle East, talks to Neill Wilkins, IHRB Head of Migrant Workers Programme, about a new ILO report on government developed digital recruitment platforms. They discussed the opportunities and challenges of technology for promoting the wellbeing of migrant workers.

Nissara Spence, Project Officer at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Thailand, speaks to IHRB's Guna Subramaniam about the recently published Human Resource Guidebook on Employer Obligations and Cultural Sensitivity. The Guidebook aims to promote a working environment for the respectful inclusion of migrant workers by acknowledging the diversity in their backgrounds.

Spence has been with the United Nations for more than five years. Since 2018, she has been the National Project Officer for the Corporate Responsibility to Eliminate Slavery and Trafficking, (CREST) programme at IOM Thailand. In this episode, she guides us through the Guidebook's content, which highlights the importance of cultural sensibility to build trust and reduce conflicts in the workplace of a country where 10% of its workforce are migrant workers.

You can download the Guidebook here.

When Malaysia went into lockdown in March 2020, cases of employers violating the rights of migrant workers raised significantly. These violations included unfair termination, unpaid wages, poor living conditions, and more. In addition, movement control orders carried out by government officials arrested undocumented migrants, which lead to an outbreak in detention centers.

In this Voices conversation, Sumitha Shaanthinni Kishna, the Director of Our Journey and the current Chair of the Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), speaks to IHRB's Guna Subramaniam about the pandemic's impact on migrants workers in Malaysia and what businesses should do to alleviate their vulnerability.