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13 May 2024

India: National Skill Development Corp. did not respond to rising safety concerns for workers recruited to replace Palestinians in Israel

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In April 2024, The Wire reported on the recruitment of Indian migrant workers to Israel. It highlights safety concerns fo workers entering the country amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza. The article also says migrant workers are replacing Palestinian workers whose work permits have been cancelled by Israel. National Skill Development Corporation, a state-owned recruitment company, is facilitating the recruitment of Indian workers into Israel.

The article says 60 Indian construction workers have left Israel amid rising safety concerns, including mounting concerns from trade unions. The Indian government advised migrants in Israel to move to safer locations after a migrant worker died in the country in a missile attack by Hezbollah near Israel’s border with Lebanon.

The article goes on to compare the migration of Indian workers to Israel with Britain’s recruitment of indentured workers from colonial India in the 19th century. The article also discusses the impact of rising unemployment currently in India as a push factor for labour migration, including into conflict areas.

In May 2024, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited National Skill Development Corporation to respond to the article, including by outlining what heightened due diligence it is conducting to assess actual and potential human rights impacts of its recruitment of Indian workers to Israel. National Skill Development Corporation did not respond.