Within the framework of the International Recruitment Integrity System, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) began on February 16, 2023, a consultation process with the Ministry of Labour and Professional Development (MITRADEL for its Spanish acronym) and multiple civil society organizations to develop a digital communication strategy on ethical recruitment.

Gerardo Carballo, Knowledge Management and Monitoring Assistant for IOM Panama, kicked off the conversation by providing an international, regional and national perspective on migration statistics to evidence their evolution and trends, and presented the main findings of the analysis of data from the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) survey of the migrant population in the provinces of Panamá and Panamá Oeste between August and September 2021.

The lack of assistance in documentation (18%), followed by the need for employment and income generation (17%) are the three basic needs most mentioned by the people surveyed that are not being satisfactorily covered in Panama. The job market and economic resources were frequently assessed as worse after the pandemic.

For IOM and MITRADEL, these spaces for dialogue are important to sensitize civil society associations on the fundamental human rights of workers, particularly migrant workers, and to present the current context of labour migration, as well as national and international regulations that protect the rights of all workers.

"Our goal is to demonstrate how ethical recruitment can prevent human trafficking and forced labour. Only with the commitment of all the actors involved will migration governance and the economic development of countries be guaranteed," said Ileen Lezcano, Operations Assistant and labour migration focal point for IOM Panama.

"A digital communication strategy on ethical recruitment is important to teach and prevent abuses that occur because workers are unaware of their rights. Many think that, because they do not have a work permit, they do not have rights to their labour benefits, for example," added Magda De Gracia, IOM's Digital Content Generation Assistant in Panama.

During the session, De Gracia explained how to make assertive and strategic use of digital platforms and media, such as text, photos and videos, to convey a key message.

Since 2020, IOM has been working with MITRADEL's Employment Directorate based on the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) to contribute to strengthening multi-stakeholder actions to promote ethical recruitment and protection of migrant workers.

Recognizing the importance of recruitment in the labour migration process, IOM created IRIS to operate through a comprehensive programmatic framework that works with governments, the international community, the private sector (brands, employers and recruiters) and civil society to establish ethical recruitment as the norm in cross-border work.

For more information, please contact IOM's External Relations Unit in Panama via  erupanama@iom.int