Migrants working throughout global supply chains are especially vulnerable to forced labour and other forms of exploitation. Although often overlooked, migrants work in or are recruited from conflict areas around the world. These workers face hazardous conditions, exacerbated by deceptive recruitment, debt bondage (key indicators of forced labour), and the deterioration of the rule of law. The recruitment of migrant workers into jobs in conflict zones is a distressing trend fuelled by a continued demand for cheap labour wherever conflicts arise. The challenging circumstances of conflict do not lessen the responsibility of employers to protect their workers. On the contrary, increased risks faced by workers recruited into or from conflict zones demands that employers take increased action to follow the available guidance and implement human rights due diligence.

Hazardous conditions in global conflict zones

Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers have been recruited to construction, healthcare, private security, as well as agricultural jobs in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) to fill vacancies replacing Palestinian workers. Workers from across Asia and Africa have been killed or taken hostage since the Middle East conflict began in October 2023. Construction unions have protested India’s recently increased labour export deal with Israel for putting Indian workers harm’s way. Among the large numbers of migrants hired to work in Lebanon’s industrial zones, near targets of attacks, many have experienced difficulty leaving a country where their job was disrupted by conflict. Migrants hired for domestic work in Lebanese households have faced uncertain access to shelter or assistance after being left behind by fleeing employers. Russia has apparently recruited migrants throughout South Asia to fight its war with Ukraine.

While the wages offered to some migrant workers in conflict zones can be higher than typical earnings at home, remuneration rarely accounts for dangerous conditions on the job. It has been widely reported that foreign contract workers in Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts were routinely paid less than hazard-pay rate requirements. As of the last quarter of 2024, migrant construction workers in Israel were paid roughly USD10 per hour, little more than the Israeli minimum wage.

Deceptive recruitment practices trap migrants in life-threatening situations

Deceptive recruitment is prevalent. Migrant workers may be tricked or unaware that they are being recruited to work in an area where ongoing conflicts may pose additional dangers. Social media plays an increasingly significant role in deceptive recruitment. In one not uncommon example, an Indian worker answered an online advertisement for a job in Dubai and instead found himself working for the Russian military in the Russia/Ukraine conflict. Thousands of migrant workers from Asia and Africa, lured by promises of data entry jobs, have been trapped by conflict in Myanmar.

Migrant workers recruited into or from conflict zones are at risk of debt bondage because they borrow money to pay recruitment fees and related costs. Shouldering this debt makes it extremely difficult to leave a job early, even when life threatening conditions arise. Verité’s NGO partners in India report that Indian construction workers have paid for their own travel to jobs in Israel. An Indian worker promised of a path to Russian citizenship ended up working for the Russian army after taking out a loan to pay a recruitment fee of about USD3,600. Bangladeshi migrants to textile jobs in Lebanon face indebtedness after paying more than USD4,000 for a job. Tens of thousands of Kenyan migrants in Lebanon were vulnerable to being charged exorbitant fees for fraudulent evacuation services.

The critical business imperative of upholding ethical recruitment during conflict

Conflicts present increased risks for workers as well as added human rights challenges for employers. This does not mean that ethical recruitment standards or the ILO’s General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment can be ignored in conflict situations. Where conflict looms, it is even more critical for companies and employers to adopt a heightened human rights due diligence approach to labour procurement, including facilitating return journeys for migrant workers. To prevent or address human rights issues before they become too arduous or costly to reverse, employers must screen and monitor all labour intermediaries involved in recruitment processes. No matter what circumstances are faced, labour intermediaries should be required to demonstrate ethical recruitment policies and procedures.

For employers and labour intermediaries, incorporating a human rights due diligence approach to managing labour procurement in conflict zones is complex. Verité has made a wide range of tools publicly available for aligning the management of migrant worker recruitment, employment, and return, with international human rights standards. This straightforward guidance can be applied even in the presence of an unpredictable or messy conflict situation. For example, Verité’s Responsible Sourcing Tool provides step-by-step ethical recruitment guidance for the private security industry. Verite’s FFACT project developed innovative recruitment cost and debt bondage tools to bring greater transparency into labour supply chains. The Recruitment Cost Calculator and CUMULUS Forced Labour Screen tools help employers track and estimate recruitment costs to make sure workers aren’t charged fees leading to debt bondage.

Sarah Lince is Senior Program Manager at Verité. Sarah applies her expertise in labour mobility and ethical recruitment, as well as extensive hands-on experience in the construction trades. For over fifteen years Sarah has been leading complex, multi-stakeholder projects, placing workers at the centre of efforts to combat forced labour in global supply chains.