Disability Migration Network

06/02/2026

📘 New ILO publication on fair recruitment of migrant workers with disabilities

The International Labour Organization has released a new technical report on fair recruitment of migrant workers with disabilities, addressing a long standing gap at the intersection of disability inclusion, labour migration, and recruitment practices.

Since 2014, the ILO Fair Recruitment Initiative (FRI) has promoted transparent, ethical, and rights based recruitment. This report takes an important step further by explicitly examining how existing recruitment systems affect persons with disabilities, particularly migrant workers, and by situating these challenges within relevant international labour standards.

The report highlights persistent barriers, emerging good practices, and the need for stronger disability-responsive guidance within fair recruitment frameworks.

🔗 Read the ILO report here:
https://www.ilo.org/publications/technical-report-fair-recruitment-migrant-workers-disabilities

📄 Related reading from DMN
As a reminder, the DMN previously published a report examining the disability-responsiveness of fair recruitment.

🔗 Read the DMN report here:
https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/disability-responsiveness-of-fair-recruitment-the-situation-for-migrant-workers-with-disabilities.pdf

We welcome this ILO publication and see it as an important opportunity to strengthen disability inclusion in labour migration policy and practice.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is committed to advancing fair recruitment practices that respect human rights and promote decent work for all. Since its launch in 2014, the ILO Fair Recruitment Initiative (FRI) has sought to ensure that recruitment processes are con-ducted in a fair, tr...

04/02/2026

Accessibility isn’t optional: IDA calls out UN cuts blocking Deaf people from the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities oversight

The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has warned that a lack of funding is undermining accessibility and jeopardising its mandated work.

In a statement published on 2 February, the Committee points to the unequal impact of the UN liquidity crisis on persons with disabilities. Funding shortfalls have resulted in the loss of essential accessibility services, including international sign interpretation and captioning, thereby preventing access to the work of the Committee by Deaf persons and persons with hearing impairments.

It additionally highlights the discontinuation since 2025 of national sign language interpretation, with States now required to pay a surcharge to the UN if the State provides interpretation remotely.

The statement also recalls that one of the Committee’s members, Mr Hiroshi Tamon, who is Deaf and has served since 2025, has not been provided with sign language interpretation to enable him to carry out his duties, as it has been explicitly requested by the recent resolution 80/197 of the UN General Assembly.

In response, IDA is seeking direct engagement with the relevant UN authorities to ensure that the 34th session of the CRPD Committee proceeds as planned from 9 to 27 March 2026, with all necessary accessibility arrangements in place.

“The current situation is unacceptable,” said José María Viera Executive Director of IDA. “Accessibility services for the CRPD Committee are not an optional extra. Without them, the Committee cannot function, and international human rights monitoring is weakened. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention, and such regressions should not be tolerated.”

IDA also urges States Parties to the CRPD to fulfil their funding responsibilities, emphasising that accessibility and reasonable accommodation are not optional measures but binding obligations under the Convention and an integral component of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy.


World Federation of the Deafblind of the Deaf European Disability Forum Pacific Disability Forum Federation of Hard of Hearing People ASEAN Disability Forum RIADIS World Blind Union World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus African Disability Forum - ADF , World Federation of the Deaf Youth Section World Federation of the Deaf Ry

28/01/2026

Freedom of movement is a right in the EU, but for many persons with disabilities it still stops at the border.

Because disability assessments differ between countries, someone can be recognised as disabled in one country and lose that recognition in another, leaving them without social protection when they move, work, or live abroad. Without mutual recognition, freedom of movement is not equal.

Real mobility means disability status and social protection must be portable and recognised across countries.

Source:

Disability Assessment and Social Protection

26/01/2026

Last Monday we wrap up our 20-week storytelling series on migrant workers with disabilities, sharing real journeys of courage, resilience, and determination. These stories outline the lived realities behind migration — and why disability-responsive migration systems are not optional, but essential.

📖 Read all 20 stories here:
👉 https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/migration-stories/

Supported by the International Labour Organization TRIANGLE programme, this series centres migrant voices and reminds us: Nothing About Us Without Us.

19/01/2026

Have you ever dreamed of becoming something more—only to be told your disability makes you less? ✨🧵

This was Ma Nanda Khin’s struggle, a Myanmar migrant, as she fought to become a fashion designer in a world that doubted her abilities. With every stitch, she proves that talent knows no barriers. Read her full journey and join the call for change 👉 https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/manandakhin/

This story is part of our new weekly series on migrant workers with disabilities, funded by the International Labour Organization TRIANGLE. Every week, we share real journeys that highlight determination, courage, and the urgent need for disability-responsive migration systems. You may catch more stories here 👉 https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/migration-stories/

14/01/2026

Reminder: on International Migrants Day 2024, the UN Committees highlighted that migrants with disabilities face dual neglect as both migrants and persons with disabilities.

They are too often invisible in data, excluded from services, and exposed to higher risks during migration, at work, and after arrival.

What is needed are coordinated, disability-responsive migration policies, stronger data, and joined up migration and disability systems.

Read the full UN statement:

GENEVA – On International Migrants Day, the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW) and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) called for action to address the intersecting and compounded hardship endured by migr...

12/01/2026

Have you ever fought your way back after an injury—only to find that the system meant to protect you left you waiting? 🕰️💭

This was Ko Aung Min’s struggle after a factory accident cut his livelihood short—and delays in insurance and reintegration support nearly cost him his dignity. Read his story of resilience and hope 👉 https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/koaungmin/

This story is part of our new weekly series on migrant workers with disabilities, funded by the International Labour Organization TRIANGLE. Every week, we share real journeys that highlight determination, courage, and the urgent need for disability-responsive migration systems. You may catch more stories here 👉 https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/migration-stories/

09/01/2026

Practical guide explains key terms on labour rights, supply chains & trade: ow.ly/lzXl50XRTyW

08/01/2026

Here is the link to our Easy Read version of “Disability-Responsiveness of Fair Recruitment: The Situation for Migrant Workers with Disabilities” 👇
https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/disability-responsiveness-of-fair-recruitment-for-migrant-workers-with-disabilities.pdf

We create Easy Read versions so our research is accessible, usable, and inclusive — especially for persons with intellectual disabilities, and to wider community members who want clear and practical information without technical language.

📘 Original full report:
https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/disability-responsiveness-of-fair-recruitment-the-situation-for-migrant-workers-with-disabilities.pdf

📚 All DMN research:
https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/research-papers/

Accessible information is a key part of fair recruitment and meaningful participation. Please read, share, and use.

05/01/2026

Have you ever fought to hold your family together—while the world kept pulling you apart? 🌾💔

This was the daily reality of Vichea Long, a Cambodian farmer who faced wage discrimination and countless barriers after migrating abroad, all while trying to provide for his wife and three daughters. Read his full story and see how hope grows even in the hardest soil 👉https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/vichealong/

This story is part of our new weekly series on migrant workers with disabilities, funded by the International Labour Organization TRIANGLE. Every week, we share real journeys that highlight determination, courage, and the urgent need for disability-responsive migration systems. You may catch more stories here 👉 https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/migration-stories/

31/12/2025

Reflecting on the past two years, the Disability Migration Network (DMN) is deeply grateful for the support and solidarity shown by the migration sector.

We thank partners and friends who have created space for participation, learning and collaboration, including the International Labour Organization, Center for Migrant Advocacy, Phils. Inc., Our Journey, MAP Foundation, Thailand, PINAY Careworkers Transnational, Department of Migrant Workers, Philippine Migrant Health Network - PMHN, Migrant Forum in Asia, and many others.

We also extend our thanks to our OPD members, whose leadership and lived experience continue to ground this work in reality:
- Life Haven CIL
- ສູນບໍລິການຄົນພິການ Disability Service Center in LAO PDR DSC
- KDN General Service Co.
- Ltd, Equal Light Myanmar
- Cambodian Disabled People's Organisation (CDPO)
- Malaysia Independent Living Association For Disabled - MILAD
- 大马残障自立协会, Hội người khuyết tật Tp.Hà Nội - DP Hanoi
- สมาคมคนตาบอดแห่งประเทศไทยThailand Association of the Blind
- Korea Disability Forum.

Without meaningful space, participation and the empowerment of persons with disabilities, the migration sector cannot truly move towards disability-responsiveness.

Now reflecting ahead to 2026, the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) is scheduled to happen. Is there a space for disability inclusion? A closer look at the GCM Workstreams:

Across the 14 Workstreams of the Global Compact for Migration, there are around 100 member organizations, representing a wide range of themes, including women and gender, children and youth, refugees and displacement, labour and trade unions, employers, human rights, undocumented migrants, humanitarian actors, health, cities, research and migration governance.

Yet despite this breadth, disability-focused organisations are entirely absent as a named constituency (to the best of our knowledge and analysis: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IGXrlh5fP00S1wzSbRITfPLZb36O7KzujnfvFVObXaI/edit?gid=1424831364 =1424831364).

This raises a critical question:
How can the GCM become disability-responsive if persons with disabilities are not structurally represented within its coordination spaces?

Inclusion cannot be assumed. It must be designed, resourced and embedded. Disability inclusion in migration governance is not optional, it is essential.

29/12/2025

Have you ever carried not just pain—but injustice—up every step you take? 🪜💔

This was Mathida Win’s everyday battle as a Myanmar migrant domestic worker —climbing stairs while enduring both physical pain and silent maltreatment. Read her full story and join the call for change 👉 https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/mathidawin/

This story is part of our new weekly series on migrant workers with disabilities, funded by the International Labour Organization TRIANGLE. Every week, we share real journeys that highlight determination, courage, and the urgent need for disability-responsive migration systems. You may catch more stories here 👉 https://disabilitymigrationnetwork.com/migration-stories/