Migrant Workers

Migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to forced labor as highlighted in the Aseel Universal Garments investigation. According to the 2021 Global Estimates, migrant workers are more likely to be in forced labor than non-migrant workers. Deception or other unethical practices in recruitment, limited legal protections and restrictive immigration regulations in the destination country, and isolation increase international migrant workers’ susceptibility to exploitation and forced labor.

Internal migrants, individuals who migrate to another area within a country for work, are also especially vulnerable to forced labor and exploitative working conditions. Internal migrants may come from marginalized communities and may speak a different language than other workers or managers at the workplace and, as a result, may face discrimination or may fear speaking out against abusive working conditions. Like international migrants, internal migrant workers are often reliant on their employer for housing, placing these workers under greater surveillance and control by the employer.

Cases that the WRC has responded to related to forced labor conditions experienced by migrant workers include:

• Aseel Universal Garments, Jordan
• Fine Apparel, Jordan
• Yee Tung Group, Jordan, Cambodia
• Natchi Apparel, India
• CJ.’s Seafood, United States