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Issue Brief – Climate- and conflict-induced migration and modern slavery: challenges and opportunities for action
Published March 2023
Climate change and armed conflict are becoming increasingly important drivers of internal displacement and cross-national migratory flows.
Individuals displaced due to environmental disasters and conflict lack family and community networks in their new destinations, have limited opportunities for employment and income generation, and limited access to legal and labour protection. At the same time, government support and law enforcement systems become overwhelmed in times of crisis, leaving many of these individuals unprotected. As a result, conflict- and climate-induced displacements heighten existing risks to modern slavery: these forcibly displaced individuals tend to be significantly more vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking than other migrants.
This Issue Brief discusses the connection between conflict and climate-change induced migration and modern slavery, explores the policy responses that have been promoted to combat modern slavery among these forcibly displaced populations, and recommends further steps that need to be taken to address this growing issue.