​Though migration can bring huge economic returns for migrants and their families, especially those from poor regions and countries, many barriers prevent poor people from enjoying the benefits of international labour migration, from restrictive migration regimes to the huge costs associated with sending someone overseas. Much has already been said of the abuses and suffering experienced by migrants working in the Gulf States, and a new report by the International Organization for Migration highlights that more than 4,000 migrants have died whilst crossing international borders in 2014 alone. But such risks are not limited to transit and destination countries: as this new research shows, the potential for exploitation exists even before migrants board the plane.

Jessica Hagen-Zanker, Richard Mallett, Anita Ghimire, Qasim Ali Shah, Bishnu Upreti and Haider Abbas