The Ministry of Labour and Professional Development (MITRADEL for its Spanish acronym) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) carried out an educational activity aimed at several companies’ administration and human resources experts, as well as students in these areas, in order to promote ethical and inclusive recruitment standards as a strategy to strengthen companies and a significant contribution to the national fight against trafficking in persons for labour exploitation.

MITRADEL, through the National Employment Directorate, carries out a series of actions to protect the integrity of job seekers since, because of their vulnerability, they are potential victims of illegal organizations engaged in trafficking in persons. It is estimated that a quarter of the victims of this crime in Panama have been rescued from exploitative labour conditions.

According to the National Director of Employment, Alfredo Mitre, this endeavour began with a rigorous process of regulation of private employment agencies, according to national regulations, mechanisms have also been established to validate international job offers, and the National Employment Service has been strengthened to help companies find the workforce they need and for job seekers to find a formal vacancy.

"Trafficking in persons is a reality that not only foreigners, but also nationals, live and it is our mission, as a Government, to protect people from this crime, but also to educate companies regarding actions they can take to guarantee the safety and well-being of their workers. The partnership with IOM and the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) has been key to this end," said Mitre.

In the activity, experts in the field of human rights protection, prevention of trafficking in persons, recruitment and selection addressed issues related to the strengthening of companies in terms of their recruitment processes within the framework of the prevention of trafficking in persons and the creation of companies committed to the social and legal norms of recruitment and selection.

IOM seeks to ensure good migration governance, safeguarding that migration is carried out in safe and orderly conditions, and mitigating the risks associated with people on the move. Migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to labour exploitation, especially during the recruitment, when recruitment agencies and unauthorized agents can charge excessive fees, give false information about supposed job offerings or withhold the identity documents of workers.

Being that ethical recruitment is synonymous with the pursuit of strong migration governance, ensuring that all parties (migrant workers, employers, government, among others) take on their responsibility for the protection of all migrants along the entire migration cycle. IOM and a coalition of like-minded partners created the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS), designed to promote the ethical recruitment of international labour, since ethical hiring entails the legal recruitment of workers in a fair, equitable, and transparent manner that respects their dignity and human rights.

International expert Michela Machiavello, IOM's Senior Regional Specialist on Labour Migration, explained that ethical recruitment must be fair for workers who can identify ethical recruiters; fair for recruiters, who increase their visibility, optimize costs and obtain commercial advantages, and,

finally, fair for employers, mainly in the identification of ethical labour recruiters and to improve the transparency of hiring processes.

Ileen Lezcano, Operations Assistant and Labour Migration Focal Point for IOM in Panama, indicated that "it is essential that countries of destination and transit of migrants include migration within their political agendas, without forgetting that we are all equal before the Law and have, without distinction, the right to equal protection."

Both institutions, MITRADEL and IOM, plan to carry out other activities in mostly vulnerable areas, to promote ethical recruitment as a business and government strategy for the promotion and preservation of human dignity, and human and labour rights. For more information, contact IOM's External Relations Unit in Panama via mailerupanama@iom.int and the Ministry of Labour and Professional Development through its web page.