Created in partnership with the Helpdesk on Business & Human Rights

Further Guidance

Examples of further guidance on migrant workers include:

  • ILO, The Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration: Non-binding principles and guidelines for a rights-based approach to labour migration, which aim to assist Governments, social partners and stakeholders in their efforts to regulate labour migration and protect migrant workers.
  • ILO, Fair Migration Agenda: The ILO campaign to ensure fair migration and labour conditions for migrants has a range of information, tools and publications.
  • ILO, Protecting Migrant Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: This policy brief gives information on protecting migrant workers and business best practices.
  • ILO, Global Study on Recruitment Fees and Related Costs: A global study that examines the laws and policies of 90 countries, as well as numerous bilateral labour agreements and multi-stakeholder initiatives to regulate or prohibit recruitment fees and costs charged to workers.
  • ILO, General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment and Definition of Recruitment Fees and Related Costs: These guidelines provide definitions and explanations of key terms related to recruitment fees.
  • ILO, How to Facilitate the Recognition of Skills of Migrant Workers: This guide for employers and employment service providers gives information on identifying the needs and capabilities of migrant workers and how to accommodate them in the workplace, particularly in recruitment.
  • ILO-IOM, Promoting Fair and Ethical Recruitment in a Digital World: Lessons and Policy Options: This joint ILO-IOM report maps four examples of existing State-facilitated digital technology platforms that assist the recruitment, placement and/or job matching for migrant workers.
  • ILO, For Women, by Women: Guidance and Activities for Building Women Migrant Workers’ Networks: This guidance outlines how migrant women’s groups can be catalyzed and supported.
  • OHCHR and CMW, General Comments No. 1 – 5: The general comments offered by the CMW provide insight into the human rights violations migrant workers face, detailing expert opinion on specific themes and legal obligations of State parties to the instruments that define these rights. General Comment No. 5 specifically details migrants’ rights to liberty, freedom from arbitrary detention and their connection with other human rights, with a contextual focus on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • OHCHR, Joint Guidance Note on the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Human Rights of Migrants: This guidance note by the OHCHR provides recommendations to States on the protection of the human rights of migrants and their families, irrespective of their migration status, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • IOM, Ending Child Labour, Forced Labour and Human Trafficking in Global Supply Chains: This guidance highlights the challenges faced by migrant workers and how business can work with Government to prevent migrant labour abuse.
  • Fair Labor Association, Triple Discrimination: Woman, Pregnant and Migrant, Preventing Pregnancy Discrimination among Temporary Migrant Workers, Lessons for Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand: Guidance for employers to avoid multi-factored discrimination against migrant women in supply chains.
If you have questions, feedback or you're looking for further help in protecting human rights, please contact us at