IOM PARTNERS SDC, on Labour Migration Governance, Ethical Recruitment Practices in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria.
By Edoamaowo Udeme
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in partnership with The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) recently held a meeting on improving Labour Migration Governance and Ethical Recruitment Practices in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria.
Speaking at the meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, Laurent De Boeck, the Chief of Mission represented by Elizabeth Poage, National Project Officer, Labour Migration and Diaspora, stated that the meeting was organized in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to introduce the project to the members of the Technical Working Committee on Labour Migration.
According to him “If poorly governed, labour migration can reduce opportunities for decent work and increase the risk of exploitation for migrant workers. low-skilled workers are particularly vulnerable, as they face risks such as poor wages, suboptimal working and living conditions, and violations of labour and human rights, including forced labour and trafficking in persons as migration should be an opportunity for growth and development for all involved migrants, their families, countries of origin and destination”.
“Expanding regular migration pathways and ensuring inclusivity and fairness in migration processes are essential to meeting the commitment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) commitments in Nigeria.
“In alignment with Objective 6 of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) on recruitment and decent work, and Goal 8 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on decent work and economic growth, IOM and other development partners have been actively promoting safe, orderly, and regular labour migration, through various programmes implemented in close collaboration with governments in the West Africa region including Nigeria, with focus on effective labour migration governance and responsible recruitment practices while enhancing access to decent work and protection for migrant workers throughout all stages of the migration cycle”he stressed
Despite these efforts, challenges such as recruitment malpractices, trafficking, and exploitation persist. The 2019 IOM Exploratory Study on Labour Recruitment and Migrant Worker Protection Mechanisms in West Africa revealed that young migrants often fall prey to exploitative recruiters, attracted by false promises of employment, high wages, and decent conditions.
” These risks often begin at the recruitment stage, where exploitative practices increase vulnerability through illegal recruitment fees and other costs, leading to exorbitant debts, which can result in debt bondage, wage withholding, coercion, and other forms of abuse. The lack of effective protection mechanisms and broader challenges related to labour migration management characterized by weak regulatory and enforcement frameworks in sending and receiving countries, further generates poor conditions for ethical recruitment and safe, orderly, and regular migration.
Commending Nigeria for being the first West African country to join the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) Global Policy Network in January 2023 commiting to join other Member States to address the challenges of unethical 3 recruitment globally, De Boeck said that the IRIS, IOM’s flagship initiative, aims to establish ethical recruitment as the norm in cross-border labour migration as IOM aims to see a significant reduction in instances of exploitative employment practices, improved access to decent work opportunities for migrant workers and strengthened institutional capacities to protect migrant workers’ rights. We anticipate that the successful implementation of this project will lead to a more inclusive and equitable labour market, where the contributions of migrant workers are acknowledged and valued.
The SDC Senior Program Officer and Peace Policy, Ojoma Ali in her speech, noted that migration is a key priority of Switzerland’s development cooperation. Switzerland is dedicated to unlocking the full potential of migrants’ contribution to sustainable development in their countries of origin and destination, including through the promotion of migration governance.
She stressed that Switzerland is a pioneer and strong supporter of fair and ethical recruitment initiatives at global and regional levels; and aims to particularly enhance the safety, well-being and livelihood prospects of vulnerable and disadvantaged migrants, their families and the communities they live in. For this reason, Switzerland is dedicated to a comprehensive and human rights-based approach.
“Switzerland is a strong supporter of gender responsive frameworks and gender transformative solutions, and emphasizes that only by understanding and addressing the gendered and intersectional nature of migration and forced displacement, will the full potential of migration for sustainable development be realized and strives to work with a full range of stakeholders to shape policies conducive to migrants’ protection and empowerment”.
“As we already successfully partner with IOM in advancing fair recruitment and the development of standards and implementation strategies through support to the IRIS initiative created by IOM to promote ethical recruitment of migrant workers, we equally remain confident that this project opens up prospects for rights-based framework conditions, ethical recruitment and the protection of migrant workers’ rights, particularly in Nigeria”.
“This new project will offer opportunities in three countries to an increased alignment to international standards on the protection of migrant workers’ rights. And so, Switzerland looks forward to seeing IOM supporting the governments of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria to enhance commitment towards effective labour migration governance and implementation of legal and regulatory frameworks for ethical recruitment” Ali added.
