ABSTRACT
Background and Objective: This paper seeks to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant workers' vulnerability to human trafficking for forced labour in Southeast Asia. Migrant workers already make up a large proportion of those most vulnerable to the coercion and exploitation that define human trafficking, yet few are officially identified as such. While migrants have been working in the very occupations and sectors essential to keeping societies and economies running during the pandemic, they have oftentimes been the least protected. The authors argue that to avoid further increases in human trafficking for labour exploitation as a result of the pandemic, the vulnerabilities of migrant workers should be addressed from policy to operational levels. Methods: Review of ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking (ASEAN-ACT) monitoring data and reports, supplemented by a review of relevant publications on the impact of COVID-19 on the vulnerability of migrant workers to abuse and exploitation. Key Content and Findings: Human trafficking for forced labour in Southeast Asia is a largely under-addressed and under documented phenomenon affecting the basic rights of exploited workers, many of these being migrants. The data indicates that vulnerability to human trafficking is likely to have increased among migrant workers in precarious occupations and sectors in Southeast Asia through the COVID-19 pandemic. As the region looks to recover from COVID-19, there is an opportunity to integrate migrant workers and promote more inclusive policy frameworks and workplace cultures that respect and value their important social and economic contributions. A transformation is required in response to the unsustainable practices that contribute to vulnerability in Southeast Asia and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides the highest-level elaboration of these required standards. Acceleration towards the relevant SDG targets will contribute to more resilient workplaces, economies and societies in the region. Conclusions: The greater vulnerability of migrant workers to human trafficking as a result of COVID-19 will require greater initiative and political will to address. Governments and the private sector in Southeast Asia are critical in addressing these vulnerabilities and the SDGs provide a valuable framework to do so through an integrated approach to development. © 2022 Journal of Innovation Management. All rights reserved.