Overview

Effective remedy is a joint responsibility of states and business. Under the UNGPs, States must protect against business-related human rights abuse, while businesses are responsible for respecting human rights, conducting due diligence, and providing or cooperating in remediation where harm occurs. For businesses, remedy is an integral part of responsible recruitment, supply chain accountability, operational resilience and trust-building.

A key gap between commitment and practice is recruitment fee remediation. Fair recruitment principles state that no worker should pay for a job and employers should bear recruitment fees and related costs. Despite this, such fees remain widespread across migration corridors, often leading to debt-financed migration and increased vulnerability to exploitation. Effective remedy therefore requires practical systems to identify harm, repay fees, engage suppliers and recruiters, document remediation and prevent recurrence. Trade unions and civil society organizations often play a critical role in facilitating access to justice for migrant workers through informal mediation and legal aid in navigating administrative and court proceedings.

This session aligns with the 2026 UN RBHR theme, “Building Resilience, Advancing Rights,” and the track on Remedy, Accountability and Trust. It also connects to the Forum’s focus on resilient supply chains and inclusive participation by examining how remedy systems can be strengthened without shifting risks onto workers. Effective remedy is not only about addressing harm after it occurs. It is also about strengthening prevention, accountability, trust and resilience across labour migration systems and supply chains.   

Building on previous Forum discussions on remedy and accountability, this session will focus on implementation: how grievances raised by migrant workers can be effectively addressed and lead to meaningful remedy. It will share research on common labour rights violations and complaints, highlight examples of remedies achieved, and draw on practical experiences from governments, businesses, workers’ and employers’ organizations, trade unions, CSOs, Migrant Worker Resource Centres and international organizations. The session will also feature findings from the ILO-IOM research on Emerging Business Practices for the Repayment of Recruitment Fees, while examining how different actors are helping operationalize remediation in labour migration systems and global supply chains.

Key questions

• What are the main complaints raised by migrant workers during recruitment and employment and how are these addressed?

• What support services are available to migrant workers to avail of complaints mechanisms, including from trade unions and CSOs, and are the services gender responsive?

• How accessible and effective are the government-related complaints mechanisms and how can these be enhanced?

• What challenges do stakeholders, including those in the private sector, face in repaying recruitment fees? What emerging good practices can help address these challenges?

Who should attend?

Government representatives, businesses, workers’ and employers’ organizations, civil society organizations, researchers, development partners and practitioners working on business and human rights, labour migration governance and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.

What participants will gain

• Increase knowledge and awareness on the types of complaints during recruitment and employment, and channels available to migrant workers to raise such complaints, in particular efforts by governments.

• Share experience on support services provided by trade unions and CSOs on dispute resolution and access to justice, including results achieved.

• Highlight emerging business practices for the repayment of recruitment fees and costs.

• Generate practical recommendations on realising effective and accessible remedies for migrant workers during recruitment and employment, including on support services.