… A new database by BHRRC, an international NGO that tracks the human rights impacts of companies, has found severe human and labour rights abuses against migrant workers across sectors in every world region, with companies failing to detect, mitigate and remedy harms.

According to data collected between 1 December 2022 and 30 November 2023, at least 96 migrant workers died of alleged corporate abuse or neglect, and most deaths (86%) were explicitly linked to breaches in occupational health and safety standards…

The new data suggests widespread and systemic rights abuse, with low-wage, temporary or undocumented workers particularly vulnerable. The most common category of abuse recorded was violations relating to employment standards (64%), including wage, arbitrary dismissal or excessive performance targets, and working hour or leave violations.

This was followed by arbitrary denial of freedoms (36%), occupational health and safety breaches (36%) and unfair recruitment practices (34%). Intimidatory, violent or harassing behaviour also emerged as a relatively common occurrence (29%), followed by inadequate living standards (28%).

Illness, heat stress and death due to heat exposure were reported in 8% of cases, a rate only expected to increase as global temperatures are estimated to rise by over 2.9°C by the end of the century…