Our Work
Migration has been a major human development factor since the hunting and gathering period of human evolution to ensure survival. It is conceptualized as an intrinsically socio-spatial phenomenon that involves the movement of individuals and groups across space into and out of an area. Currently, there are an estimated 281 million international migrants globally (or 3.6% of the world’s population) while the majority of migrants are internal or within sub-regions. Several factors precipitate migration including economic factors, forced migration as a result of conflict, development projects, or human trafficking among others.
Migrants in new environments are more vulnerable to exploitation including forced labor, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking. However, non-migrants or people in their home countries or communities may also be vulnerable to forced labor by organizations and in some cases state-imposed forced labor. Men, women, and children are affected by forced labor with women and men disproportionately affected. An estimated 25 million people are in forced labor globally, 20.8 million of which are working in the private economy and commercial sexual exploitation.
Our Services
MRL works with individuals, groups, communities, and organizations to help them understand their situation and explore options for the future. We believe that change is an integral part of everyone’s reality and that each of us has an active role in shaping the future - whether it’s our future or that of an organization or community. MRL uses a broad range of methodologies that enable a high degree of participation and interactive, experiential learning. We adapt and experiment with each unique set of circumstances, combining and selectively drawing on a range of tools and approaches as each process unfolds. We work with others to find a path that celebrates our strengths while critically engaging with our weaknesses.
Migration Management
Our migration program works collaboratively with youth, community members, migrants, protection actors, employment bodies, workers’ organizations, governments, think tanks, academia, human rights experts, business networks, and the private sector. We focus on migration within or across borders and the increased vulnerability to abuse and exploitation that migrants may face whether they are moving regularly, irregularly, or internally. Within the context of migration, the focus on vulnerabilities to exploitation can extend to left-behind children and spouses by migrants in origin, transit, and in destination countries. Migrants face an increased vulnerability to a denial of social protection services such as health, education, and livelihood. Migrants in new environments are also vulnerable to human trafficking and associated forms of abuse and exploitation. Some of our interventions are focused around:
- Migration information and resource centers to create awareness of regular migration at the community level, migration advisory services for potential migrants, and pre-departure orientation for migrants.
- Migrant rights protection and advocacy in host countries including refugees, irregular, stranded, and unaccompanied migrants
- Assisted safe and dignified voluntary migrant resettlement, repatriation, and reintegration. Engaging youth and marginalized communities to build resilience against violent extremism, human trafficking, and other forms of exploitation.
Forced Labor
Our collaborative programs on forced labor ensure human rights due diligence in the supply chain, address the vulnerabilities of families to forced labor, and engage government actors on policies that reinforce these practices. Our program interventions also address contemporary forms of forced labor often linked to human trafficking and modern slavery. Forced labor and modern slavery continue to be endemic issues in global production and manufacturing, especially in low-wage and labor-intensive industries requiring innovative community-led approaches and linkages with private corporations and governments.
Some of our interventions are focused around:
- Awareness raising on forced labor indicators
- Capacity building on forced labor indicators
- Forced labor remediation services including identification referral remediation
- Facilitating human rights and environmental due diligence in the supply chain
Rehabilitation Centre
MRL operates a temporary rehabilitation center providing shelter supportive services: love; counseling; legal aid; small assistance grants; formal preparatory education; vocational skills training; rehabilitation resettlement for survivors of irregular migration, forced labor and other forms of exploitation. Our experienced qualified professional staff provides gender-sensitive, victim-centered, trauma-informed appropriate cultural physical psychological care for people in the center.
Community-Led Program Cycle Development
We design, implement, and manage rights-based, gender-sensitive, community, and national-level programs within MRL. Our community-focused programs cut across multiple sectors based on the experiences and expertise of our team. These programs are aimed at upholding the rule of law and community development along the 4 P’s principle (Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Partnership). Our work in this area is interlinked with our other services such as research monitoring evaluation of forced labour migration.
Areas of intervention include:
- Gender Equality and Social Inclusion
- Assisted migrant services including access to information on migration, migrant advisory pre-departure orientation, and migrant repatriation and reintegration.
- Financial inclusion (Community Savings Loans Cooperatives, small grants)
- Livelihood development (Vocational Skills development, business management)
- Digital inclusivity of rural populations and informal economy
Research, Monitoring and Evaluation
As a participatory development-oriented organization we undertake research, monitoring, and evaluation on a wide range of socioeconomic themes relevant to the rule of law, community development, and poverty reduction, to understand the dynamics of these issues, and offer remedial alternative courses of action. We have a proven track record undertaking research with varied methodologies like participatory rural appraisal, mixed methods, qualitative, quantitative, and impact evaluations across several sectors.
To this end, we undertake:
- Public policy analysis
- Monitoring evaluation systems tools
- Baseline midline end-line studies
- Impact assessment
Organisation Development
We help strengthen internal mechanisms and controls and build the staff capacity of organizations to enable them to function at optimal levels and improve efficiency, transparency, and accountability in a manner that best serves constituents and stakeholders.
Our intervention includes:
- Developing training manuals and curriculums
- Facilitation capacity-building training for community leadership, civil society organizations, and government agencies stakeholders
- Develop organizational systems, and structures including strategic plans
- Fundraising and proposal development
Internships
MRL is committed to the human capital development of students and other professionals with an interest in community development, migration, research, and forced labor. MRL partners with academic institutions and accepts individual applications for placements in experiential learning.