Select Key Findings:

• 95% of workers surveyed reported having a job in construction prior to March 2020, compared to only one-third as of August 2020, indicating a 65% decrease in the number of participants employed in the construction sector during the pandemic
• As of this study’s conclusion, 52% of — or one out of every two —participants did not have a monthly household income, compared to only 1% of participants prior to the COVID-19 lockdown, suggesting the pandemic significantly affected the livelihoods of participants.
• Of the migrant construction workers surveyed, 58% were unaware of the welfare schemes and benefits they were entitled to receive, and a further 27% were unable to receive benefits despite having the necessary documents.

For more key findings and insights on implications of this information, download the full briefing.

Across the Philippines, Vietnam, and India, TST engages with local research organizations to support our partners with development and execution of supplementary evaluation and learning frameworks. These frameworks assess the effectiveness and contributions of implemented anti-trafficking interventions. Research and evaluation partners who have been engaged through this effort include, among others, Sattva Consulting and Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work in Maharashtra, India.

In 2020, GFEMS commissioned Two Six Technologies, in partnership with University of California, Los Angeles, to estimate the number of child sex trafficking victims in Maharashtra, India. The study used a hybrid methodological approach to develop estimates for the adult sex worker population, the prevalence of child sex trafficking, and the population of local buyers of the commercial sex industry. Findings from the study will be remeasured in 2022 to assess trends over time in the state.

The study by TST tracked changes in migrant worker experiences of forced labour at different points in time in the Construction industry in the National Capital Region of India. The study also evaluated the efficacy of various programs that were implemented to reduce worker vulnerabilities.

The study by TST is monitoring the experiences of migrant workers from the Philippines that are working in GCC countries, Hong Kong and other destination hot-spots to better understand forced labor conditions experienced by these migrant workers. TST will also evaluate programs that are being implemented to improve safe migration from the Philippines.

At Two Six Technologies, we provide innovative products that solve today’s most complex real-world challenges. Through unrivaled collaboration and unwavering trust, we push the boundaries of what’s possible to support our customers and empower our team. Learn more about what we do and why we’re here.

Population Council is using quantitative data collected by other GFEMS partners to conduct a case study examining how debt influences migration patterns. It also uses additional primary (qualitative) and secondary data to produce a thoughtful analysis of debt and utility of financial services for migrants to reduce vulnerabilities.

Population Council is exploring the role of debt and indebtedness in migration-related decisions and financing migration; the ways debt shapes migrants’ experiences including work-related choices and experiences, freedom in the migration processes, and financial and non-financial vulnerabilities faced at the destination; the role of debt in shaping return migration decisions and experiences; the experiences of migrant families in the place of origin, including the level of household debt and how remittances are used for paying loans; and the type of financial services used by migrants, challenges faced by migrants in using formal banking services, and the financial services that have the potential to reduce their vulnerability.

Population Council is conducting an analysis of the overseas labor recruitment system in Bangladesh (both pre-departure and return), including positive actions taken by government authorities and migration actors of Bangladesh in addressing forced labor repatriation, reintegration, recovery, and referral mechanisms. Population Council will be assessing how funded interventions in Bangladesh in overseas labor recruitment contribute to any changes within the existing system. This includes examining systems in place and actions taken by the government and other stakeholders to improve repatriation, reintegration, recovery and referral for returned migrants and survivors of labor exploitation overseas and the contributions of the Global Fund’s interventions in improving these systems.

Population Council is conducting an analysis of the overseas labor recruitment system in Bangladesh (both pre-departure and return), including positive actions taken by government authorities and migration actors of Bangladesh in addressing forced labor repatriation, reintegration, recovery, and referral mechanisms. Population Council will be assessing how funded interventions in Bangladesh in overseas labor recruitment contribute to any changes within the existing system. This includes examining systems in place and actions taken by the government and other stakeholders to improve repatriation, reintegration, recovery and referral for returned migrants and survivors of labor exploitation overseas and the contributions of the Global Fund’s interventions in improving these systems.

This case study will be a systems analysis of the construction industry in India. The analysis will focus on the relationships between large construction company contractors, mid-size contractors, micro-contractors, recruitment agencies, and seasonal migrant workers. The study should be qualitative in nature but integrate both qualitative and quantitative components. Population Council will examine the types and characteristics of labor contractors in the construction industry; the recruitment chain, including strategies that contractors use to identify and recruit laborer’s, people involved, and financial transaction across the recruitment process, the extent to which ethical recruitment process is followed; channels through which migrant workers enter the job market and differences in these channels by gender and skills of the workers and the type of construction industries, terms and conditions under which these workers are recruited and awareness of rights and entitlements; and actions that can help labor contractors adopt ethical recruitment processes.

This case study will compare the acceptability, relevance, effectiveness and quality of CSE reintegration models implemented by the Fund’s three partners in Bangladesh and India receiving funding from Norad. Population Council will examine the commonalities and differences in the approaches and strategies used in two rehabilitation/re-integration models and one prevention model; the extent to which the models were perceived to be acceptable and relevant by CSE survivors and other stakeholders; effects of the models in improving the awareness of CSE survivors about economic opportunities, rights and entitlements and skills, securing a sustainable and decent level of income, overcoming trauma, and preventing re-trafficking of survivors; the quality of psychosocial support, technical trainings, and job placements provided to CSE survivors, as well as the cost per participant of providing services.

Population Council will assess intervention effectiveness by conducting a longitudinal study among three groups of aspiring migrants. The first group will receive services from the Migration Resource Centres (MRC) to reduce source-side vulnerabilities (MRC arm); the second group will be exposed to an awareness raising campaign (Campaign arm); and the third group will be exposed to neither of these activities (Comparison arm).

Population Council will conduct pre- and post-intervention surveys, difference in differences (DD) design with longitudinal survey data collected from aspiring migrants from intervention villages and matched comparison villages at baseline before the roll-out of the intervention and a year later. This will contribute to filling a major evidence gap on what works to ensure safe and regular migration and provide additional insights on the role of debt in migration.

About Population Council

The Population Council conducts research to address critical health and development issues. Our work allows couples to plan their families and chart their futures. We help people avoid HIV infection and access life-saving HIV services. And we empower girls to protect themselves and have a say in their own lives.