A/72/173 Goal 2. Protect the labour and human rights of all migrants, regardless of their status and circumstances Rationale 48. Migrants, especially those with precarious residence status, are vulnerable to abuse and labour exploitation. Certain categories of migrants, such as migrant women and children, temporary migrant workers and undocumented migrants, are more intrinsically vulnerable to abuse, violence and exploitation. Th e physical, sexual and psychological abuse of women migrant domestic workers appears to be widespread, and they are often exposed to health and safety threats without being provided with adequate information and support. For most migrants, it can be very difficult or impossible to obtain meaningful access to an effective remedy for rights violations. 49. Underground labour markets act as a magnet for undocumented migration at the request of exploitative employers and constitute a major pull factor for explo ited migrant workers and a key trigger for the smuggling market. It is, however, difficult to reduce those markets significantly, owing to the favourable impact of lower labour costs on certain economic sectors, in particular the construction, agriculture, caregiving, hospitality, fisheries and extraction industries; the acquiescence of consumers; the indifference of politicians; and the absence of complaints by migrants owing to their fear of detection, detention and deportation. Nevertheless, action needs to be taken to achieve mobility without distortions to the labour market, which would entail the considerable reinforcement of labour inspection mechanisms, the vigorous targeting of exploitative employers and the empowerment of migrants to defend their rights. 50. Proactive regularization procedures should be readily available to help migrants who work and are socially integrated remain in the country with regular status and fight exploitation and defend their rights, just like any other workers. 51. A comprehensive, detailed national migration policy needs to be drawn up and implemented effectively in order to combat the labour exploitation of migrants. The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration of the International Labour Organization provides useful guidance in that respect. Targets 17-12223 2.1 Effectively protect the labour rights of migrants, including by ensuring equal opportunity and treatment in employment, in compliance with international labour standards 2.2 Implement policies that effectively sanction employers who exploit migrants, and increase the share of migrants who benefit from the cross -border recognition of skills and qualifications and the portability of social security benefits 2.3 Promote the progressive formalization of the informal sectors of industries in which migrants are often exploited, such as construction, extraction, fisheries, hospitality and caregiving 2.4 Ensure ethical recruitment intermediaries at both ends of the migration process by establishing effective government regulatory frameworks and institutional monitoring mechanisms for the labour recruitment industry and by using all available international cooperation channels 13/26