A/70/310 migrants that can amount to up to $15,000. 2 These fees are often for poorly paid economic opportunities; jobs that are dramatically different from those agreed by the migrants at home; and in some cases non-existent roles. 21. Responsible recruitment agencies charge fees for their services not to the workers but to the employer, in a business-to-business transaction. Migrants often seek work abroad because of their desire to overcome poverty and a lack of decent work opportunities in countries of origin. The decision to migrate can often be driven by extremely difficult economic circumstances and/or a shock, such as loss of land and/or employment, debt reaching unsustainable levels, family breakdown, the loss of a spouse, and/or family illness. Research undertaken by the ILO suggests that women sometimes have a less favourable socio-economic status and discrimination in countries of origin, meaning they therefore enter the migration process in the most precarious positions. 22. Given the precariousness of the migrants’ position when beginning the migration process, they often do not have spare resources to pay recruitments fees, which can amount to more than two years’ worth of wages. They therefore are forced to take out high compound interest loans (with rates reported to range between 5% and 80%)2 to pay these recruitment fees. Migrants may sign over the deeds of their property to secure these loans. As these fees and the commonly resulting debt further increase the precariousness of the migrants’ situation, they can lead to migrants becoming trapped in situations of bondage and forced labour. Debts can also severely restrict the ability of the migrants to save wages and/or provide remittances to family members in countries of origin, thus undermining the benefits of migration. 23. Unfortunately, the economic exploitation of migrants is not limited to paying recruitment fees. There are reports of agents facilitating severe mistreatment of migrants within the labour market in countries of destination. It is not uncommon for migrants to have no control over the countries that they go to work, let alone the specific sector or employer. Contract substitution, whereby migrants arrive in countries of destination and are faced with jobs and working conditions dramatically different from those agreed upon in the country of origin, is also commonplace. Additionally, migrants have reported non-payment of wages, unspecified deductions from wages, and irregular wage patterns. Working conditions can also often be dangerous and dehumanising for migrants. Recruitment agents and subagents can also continue to play an exploitative and abusive role towards migrants in countries of destination, as discussed above. 24. The working conditions of low wage migrant workers have been exemplified by a number of the Special Rapporteur’s country visit reports and his report on labour exploitation to the Human Rights Council. The report following the Special Rapporteur’s visit to Qatar in 2013, highlighted: the lack of a minimum wage within national legislation; the frequent non-payment of wages or irregular wage patterns; migrant workers living in overcrowded and materially challenging conditions; a lack of access to health-care services owing to the failure of employers to issue identity cards; concerning levels of workplace accidents and deaths; and migrants being forced to remain with employers, despite abuse, because of their refusal to legally release them under the kafala system. __________________ 2 15-13569 Institute for Human Rights and Business (K. Jones), 2013, “Fees and IDs: Tackling recruitment fees and confiscation of workers’ passports”, London, IHRB. 7/26