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Social Sciences
Special Issues
Social Conflict, Migration and Forced Labour: Contemporary and Emerging Issues
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Social Conflict, Migration and Forced Labour: Contemporary and Emerging Issues

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Work, Employment and the Labor Market".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2567

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Craig Paterson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S10 2BP, UK
Interests: conflict; displacement; forced labour; migration; climate change; trafficking; human rights

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The confluence of conflict, climate change and global migration is exacerbating conditions in which vulnerability to forced labour can flourish. Approximately 281 million people (4% of the global population) were recorded as migrants in 2023 (United Nations, 2023), including an estimated total of 35.3 million refugees and 5.4 million asylum seekers (UNHCR, 2023). Simultaneously, 71.1 million people remained displaced from their homes, with 62.5 million people being displaced due to conflict and violence (IDMC, 2023). In addition to conflict and violence, natural disasters are presenting a growing risk, with 60.9 million people displaced within their home country (IDMC, 2023). 

Forced labour is a direct consequence of these global insecurities and the social and market forces that face asylum seekers, refugees and other displaced people. Displaced populations are often restricted to access to poor-quality employment in unregulated employment sectors (ILO, 2020). A range of factors such as domestic and international laws, local and regional policies, and restrictions around the right to work mean than often traumatised populations move directly into highly vulnerable working circumstances with the potential to exacerbate rather than alleviate these vulnerabilities.

This Special Edition will interrogate global changes in conflict and migration and their implications for patterns of forced labour. The SI is open to articles addressing forced labour from a global perspective as well as at the micro level of their impact upon individual communities. Articles are sought that address both the causes and consequences of forced labour, as are case studies that shed light on specific jurisdictions and communities. 

References

  1. United Nations (2023) International Migrant Stock. https://www.migrationdataportal.org/sites/g/files/tmzbdl251/files/2023-06/Key_Global_Migration_Figures_June_2023.pdf.
  2. UNHCR (2023) Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2022. Global Trends 2022 report (unhcr.org) https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/global-trends-report-2022.pdf.
  3. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (2023) (internal-displacement.org) https://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/IDMC_GRID_2023_Global_Report_on_Internal_Displacement_LR.pdf.
  4. International Labour Organisation (2020) Employment and decent work in refugee and other forced displacement contexts. Compendium Final (ilo.org) https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---migrant/documents/publication/wcms_763174.pdf.

Dr. Craig Paterson
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • conflict
  • displacement
  • forced labour
  • migration
  • climate change
  • trafficking
  • human rights

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 505 KB  
Article
Human Security Under Siege: Displacement, Deprivation and Agony Among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Tigray, Ethiopia
by Gebrehawerya Haile Hadgu, Hafte Gebreselassie Gebrihet, Mhrtay Adisalem Tikue, Tewelde Gebresslase Haile, Girmay Tadele Assefa and Gebregewergis Alemu Gebremedhn
Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(11), 653; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14110653 (registering DOI) - 6 Nov 2025
Abstract
This study examines the multidimensional human security challenges faced by internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Adigrat City, Tigray, Ethiopia, in the context of conflict-induced displacement. Guided by the Human Security Framework, the analysis addresses threats across economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, and [...] Read more.
This study examines the multidimensional human security challenges faced by internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Adigrat City, Tigray, Ethiopia, in the context of conflict-induced displacement. Guided by the Human Security Framework, the analysis addresses threats across economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, and political domains. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey using structured questionnaires administered to a stratified sample of 349 IDPs, and analysed through descriptive statistics. Content analysis was conducted on interviews from 17 respondents who were selected purposefully, and secondary data was collected to understand IDPs’ experiences and institutional responses. The findings reveal severe and overlapping forms of deprivation: IDPs reside in overcrowded and inadequate shelters, face chronic food insecurity, and lack access to clean water, healthcare, and education. These conditions are compounded by psychosocial distress, including trauma, anxiety, and the erosion of social cohesion. The study finds that governmental and international responses remain limited, poorly coordinated, and insufficiently responsive to the complex needs of displaced people. While the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of displaced populations to their areas of origin should remain the ultimate objective, this outcome could be realized by fully implementing the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. Responses including improved shelter, essential services access, livelihood recovery, and mental health support systems are essential to address urgent needs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Conflict, Migration and Forced Labour: Contemporary and Emerging Issues)
17 pages, 307 KB  
Article
Procedural Justice and Therapeutic Frameworks for Police Interactions with Migrant Populations Experiencing Forced Labour
by Craig Paterson and Matthew Morgan
Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(11), 638; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14110638 - 31 Oct 2025
Viewed by 181
Abstract
Public cooperation is crucial for the police to successfully perform their duties. Yet marginalised and vulnerable groups facing uncertainty about their societal status often significantly mistrust the police. Migrant populations experiencing forced labour are marginalised and uncertain groups that face significant challenges for [...] Read more.
Public cooperation is crucial for the police to successfully perform their duties. Yet marginalised and vulnerable groups facing uncertainty about their societal status often significantly mistrust the police. Migrant populations experiencing forced labour are marginalised and uncertain groups that face significant challenges for police in gaining trust and cooperation, especially since many have escaped conflict or authoritarian regimes, or experienced trauma and exploitation prior to encountering police in democratic contexts. This paper examines the potential role of policing agencies in Anglophone countries in addressing forced labour in migrant communities. Whilst recognising that police are not ideal first responders to this issue, the paper acknowledges that they often represent the first visible state response with the legal authority to support or detain individuals. This paper reviews the literature on forced labour and migration and presents a conceptual argument, applying procedural justice as a theoretical framework to assess its potential for improving the policing of forced labour, particularly among newly arrived migrants still establishing social relationships, bonds, and capital. The paper concludes by arguing that procedural justice may help police earn the trust and confidence of migrant populations experiencing forced labour and help address labour exploitation, although this trust-building remains hampered by the concomitant harms caused by crimmigration systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Conflict, Migration and Forced Labour: Contemporary and Emerging Issues)

Review

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25 pages, 511 KB  
Review
Afghan and Arab Refugee International Medical Graduate Brain Waste: A Scoping Review
by Ahmad Fahim Pirzada, Zaina Chaban, Andrea Michelle Guggenbickler, Seyedeh Ala Mokhtabad Amrei, Arliette Ariel Sulikhanyan, Laila Afzal, Rashim Hakim and Patrick Marius Koga
Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(3), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14030147 - 27 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1553
Abstract
The forced migration of tens of thousands of refugee doctors exacerbates a phenomenon referred to as “brain waste”. Based on the Arksey and O’Malley model, this scoping review conducted in SCOPUS, ProQuest, CINAHL, and ERIC via EBSCO examines three decades of peer-reviewed literature [...] Read more.
The forced migration of tens of thousands of refugee doctors exacerbates a phenomenon referred to as “brain waste”. Based on the Arksey and O’Malley model, this scoping review conducted in SCOPUS, ProQuest, CINAHL, and ERIC via EBSCO examines three decades of peer-reviewed literature (1990–2022) on resettled Afghan and Arab refugee International Medical Graduates (rIMGs) attempting, most often unsuccessfully, relicensing/professional reentry in the USA, Canada, the EU, Australia, and New Zealand. The search identified 760 unique citations, of which only 16 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Included publications explored (1) systemic and personal barriers to rIMG professional reentry and (2) existing supporting reentry programs and policy recommendations. The findings point to inconsistencies in evaluating medical education credentials and to racial profiling, inequities, and discrimination in residency interviews. The support provided by some programs was perceived as inadequate, confusing, biased, and gendered. The rIMG personal barriers identified included refugees’ unique limitations and life adversities. The review grasps a collection of isolated support programs with widely varying learning performance, unclear buy-in from residency program directors, and weak policy impacts. This analysis highlights the need for legislated and standardized rIMG reentry support programs to reduce physician shortages, health disparities, and, ultimately, IMG brain waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Conflict, Migration and Forced Labour: Contemporary and Emerging Issues)
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