Responsible Recruitment: Remediating Worker-Paid Recruitment Fees

This report focuses on the sixth step concerning remediation. Some companies have sought to reimburse worker-paid recruitment fees. This is an important step and consistent with the UNGPs which calls on companies to provide for or cooperate in remediation when they have caused or contributed to adverse human rights impacts. However, businesses face serious challenges in repaying affected migrant workers. This report identifies the challenges related to reimbursing recruitment fees and provides recommendations to businesses on how to apply remediation policies across their activities.

IOM training on ethical recruitment

The International Organization for Migration supports recruiters, suppliers (employers) and brands to strengthen their internal control mechanisms and implement ethical recruitment practices through its two initiatives:

IRIS: Ethical Recruitment, is IOM's flagship initiative to promote ethical recruitment which is fair for everyone involved: migrant workers, employers, recruiters and countries of origin and destination. IRIS, as a global multi-stakeholder initiative works with and supports governments, civil society, the private sector and recruiters to establish ethical recruitment as a norm in cross-border labour migration. Read more at iris.iom.int

The Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking (CREST) is a partnership initiative that aims to realize the potential of business to uphold the human and labour rights of migrant workers in their operations and supply chains. Read more at crest.iom.int

Guidelines for Labour Recruiters on Ethical Recruitment, Decent Work and Access to Remedy for Migrant Domestic Workers

This publication is to inform labour recruiters on best practices for promoting, facilitating and ensuring the ethical recruitment of migrant domestic workers. The guidelines are derived from the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) Standard, developed by IOM through an extensive multi-stakeholder consultation process. The guidelines follow the seven IRIS principles, offering special guidance and best practices tailored for the migrant domestic workers recruitment industry.

The guidelines were developed under the project Asia Region: Promoting Ethical Recruitment and Decent Work among Private Sector Partners by Strengthening Company Policies to Protect Domestic Workers. While the project focuses on the recruitment of migrant domestic workers to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, from Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines, these guidelines are relevant to recruiters of migrant domestic workers across migration corridors and globally.

IRIS Ethical Recruitment

IRIS: Ethical Recruitment is IOM's flagship initiative to promote ethical recruitment of migrant workers. It has been created by IOM and a coalition of partners from government, civil society and the private sector. IRIS is a global multi-stakeholder initiative that supports governments, civil society, the private sector and recruiters to establish ethical recruitment as a norm in cross-border labour migration.

The goal of IRIS is to make international recruitment fair for everyone involved: migrant workers, employers, recruiters and countries of origin and destination. It does this by:

• Promoting respect for the rights of migrant workers;
• Enhancing transparency and accountability in recruitment;
• Advancing the Employer Pays Principle; and
• Strengthening public policies, regulations and enforcement mechanisms.

IRIS is referred to under Objective 6 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and a number of other inter-governmental frameworks.

IRIS priorities include: 1) awareness raising and capacity building, 2) migrant worker voice and empowerment, 3) the regulation of international recruitment, 4) voluntary certification of private recruitment agencies, and 5) stakeholder partnership and dialogue.