“UN experts call on States and businesses to step up protection of migrant workers”

UN experts* today urged States and businesses to take stronger action to address the serious and systemic challenges faced by migrant workers through the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

“Migrant workers are the backbone of vital industries. Yet they remain among the least protected,” said Pichamon Yeophantong, Chairperson of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, presenting a report to the 80th session of the General Assembly.

“Those who sustain our societies are too often denied the most basic recognition of their humanity and their human rights.”

In the report, the Working Group was alarmed by the plethora of business-related human rights abuses experienced by transnational migrant workers, including forced labour, exploitation and debt bondage, unsafe living conditions, as well as various forms of discrimination and violence. Although progress has been made globally and nationally to uphold migrant workers’ rights, major implementation gaps remain. Barriers, such as distrust, fear of reprisals and low awareness, that prevent victims and their families from accessing justice and remedy also persist…

To bridge the gap between established standards and migrant workers’ lived realities, the report highlighted the imperative for States and businesses to work together…