"Southeast Asia's vulnerable migrants pose an economic Catch-22," 06 March 2018

Nearly 7 million Southeast Asian migrant workers toil within the region...

When it comes to stopping abuse, some governments have tightened controls only to struggle with unintended consequences. 

Thailand found itself in the...spotlight a few years ago over forced labor and human trafficking...Facing an outcry, the military government clamped down on undocumented migrants...Last June, a new law took effect requiring all migrant workers to be registered with the government, with undocumented individuals and their employers subject to tough criminal penalties. 

The law, however, triggered an exodus of workers, causing a sudden labor shortage and prompting Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to delay enforcement by six months.

Philippine President...Duterte, meanwhile, has barred Filipinos from working in Kuwait after a domestic helper was found dead in her employers' apartment...

...[F]rom an economic perspective, the Philippines cannot afford to bring too many workers home.

...[E]xperts say a ban could lead to even more undocumented migration or human trafficking. 

"I don't think that a moratorium will solve the current problem, and it could even make the situation worse," said Daniel Awigra, who works... at the Human Rights Working Group...

...After a decade of on-again, off-again negotiations, member states last November signed the ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers...

...[S]till the consensus is nonbinding and leaves it up to individual countries to address and prevent abuses... 

Instead of waiting for political solutions, some employers have come up with their own simple answer: treat foreign workers better.

But not all businesses have the will or the means to improve conditions for migrants...