In December 2023, the Institute for Human Rights & Business (IHRB) published an updated guide to implementing the Dhaka Principles for Migration with Dignity, focusing on the challenges faced by women migrant workers.

In March 2024, IBHR released a ‘short report’ for business, called ‘Respecting the Human Rights of Women Migrant Workers during Recruitment’.

The report outlines key challenges women migrant workers particularly face, including:

• During recruitment, such as a lack of access to information; the burden of leaving family behind; abuse from family, and particularly male relatives, due to patriarchal systems; and greater financial hardship due to recruitment fee payment amid a lack of assets.
• Upon arrival, such as access only to jobs restricted to women; wage or overtime inequality; intersecting discrimination based on race, nationality, migration status, sexuality, and other identifiers; restricted freedom of movement; gender-based violence; inadequate grievance mechanisms; and social isolation.
• After return, such as discrimination and stigmatisation for challenging gender norms; and being left without work or savings.

The report emphasises private sector failures to address the specific challenges facing women migrant workers. It highlights a serious risk to brand value and reputation amid allegations of women facing abuse and modern slavery risks. It emphasises effective human rights due diligence can have a positive impact on company reputation, legal compliance, and stakeholder engagement. It also highlights how responsible recruitment is increasingly required in public procurement regulations. It recommends several steps companies should take to respect migrant women workers’ rights, including:

• Providing decent work;
• Employing and promoting more women, particularly migrant women, in supervisory and managerial roles;
• Including specific consideration of challenges experienced by migrant women workers in policies and procedures;
• Developing and implementing practices that respect the rights of domestic workers employed in the households of company staff.