IOM CREST Ethical Recruitment of Migrant Workers IOM CREST Etisk rekrytering av migrantarbetare IOM’s five year project, "Enhancing Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking in Asia (CREST Project)", aims to improve the conditions for migrant workers in Asia by strengthening the capacity of private sector actors’ value chains in Asia, to recruit and hire in accordance with international praxis for ethical recruitment. The project aims to hinder the vulnerable situation that many women face in labour migration, such as indebtedness due to high recruitment fees, lack of right to healthcare in the country of destination and weak rights in relation to the employer. As the recruitment firms have an important role, IOM will map and train these to adhere to international principles for ethical recruitment. One of the core principles is that the recruitment fee shall be absorbed by the company that in the end employs and not borne by the migrant worker. International companies that source from Asian suppliers are expected to be engaged in the project and contribute with resources to strengthen the capacity of its suppliers. The aim is to establish ethical recruitment practices that are expected to lead to that more migrating women and men have better access to safe recruitment channels and are not exposed to exploitation, violation or indebted when moving to seek work at another destination. IOM:s femåriga projekt, "Enhancing Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking in Asia (CREST Project)", syftar till att förbättra villkoren för migrantarbetare i Asien genom att stärka kapaciteten hos privatsektoraktörer inom leverantörskedjor i Asien att rekrytera och anställa enligt internationella principer för etisk rekrytering. Projektet ämnar förhindra den sårbara situation som framförallt många kvinnor hamnar i genom arbetsmigration, såsom skuldsättning till följd av dyra rekryteringsavgifter, avsaknad av rätt till exempelvis sjukvård i destinationslandet och svaga rättigheter gentemot arbetsgivaren. Då rekryteringsfirmor spelar en viktig roll kommer IOM att särskilt kartlägga och utbilda dessa i syfte att de ska efterleva internationella principer för etisk rekrytering. En av kärnprinciperna är att rekryteringskostnaden ska bäras av det företag som i slutänden anställer och inte av arbetstagaren som migrerar. Internationella företag som köper från asiatiska leverantörer förväntas engageras i projektet och bidra med resurser till att stärka kapaciteten hos sina underleverantörer. Målet är att få till stånd etiskt hållbara rekryteringsprocesser som väntas leda till att migrerande kvinnor och män har större tillgång till säkra rekryteringskanaler där de inte råkar ut för exploatering, kränkningar eller hamnar i ekonomisk skuld när de flyttar för att arbeta på annan ort. Objectives

To help businesses realise their potential to uphold and respect the human and labour rights of migrant workers in their operations and supply chains, CREST directly supports IOM operations at country-level in Bangladesh, Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam

Overall goal:  Businesses respect, promote and remedy the human and labour rights of women and men migrant workers in Asia, in key industries and supply chains. The overall goal of the TOC is that migrant workers of all genders have access to and can enjoy decent work through ethical recruitment channels.

Outcome 1: Commitment Private sector stakeholders commit to the elimination of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains in Asia

Outcome 2: Implementation Private sector partners are taking measures to implement ethical recruitment for the elimination of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains in Asia.

Outcome 3: Collaboration Private sector stakeholders effectively collaborate with multi-stakeholder platforms to create an enabling environment for ethical recruitment and the elimination of modern slavery.

In 2021, additional funds and an additional outcome were added to the intervention for the period July 2021 - December 2022.

Outcome 4: COVID 19 response Promote the protection of migrant workers across Asia in response to the COVID19 pandemic.