The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the well-being of migrant workers; it led to increased rights violations during all phases of the migration process, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of this population and highlighting their exclusion from existing grievance mechanisms and remedy systems. Even before the pandemic, migrant workers faced many challenges when seeking remedy. Language barriers, lack of knowledge about local laws, limited access to legal help, and confusing complaint systems made it difficult for them to get the support they needed. The cost of seeking help was also a major barrier, especially for those trying to support themselves and their families. On top of this, many migrant workers were afraid to report abuse because they feared retaliation or being sent back to their home countries.

In response to these challenges, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) piloted an emergency COVID-19 Remediation Fund from 2021 to 2023. Through the Fund, IOM partnered with civil society organizations (CSOs) to assist migrant workers in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), China, Malaysia, and Thailand who had experienced labour rights violations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case study documents the experiences and learnings from the Regional Remediation Fund to inform and strengthen future efforts to support migrant workers to seek redress.