Asylum Policies and Forced Labour among Asylum Seekers and Refugees: The Results of a Two-Phase Systematic Review

Author: Szulc, Natalia & Szymaniak, Adam

Abstract: There is ample empirical evidence of destitution, or social exclusion of asylum seekers and refugees (ARs) in host countries. Still, few studies document their negative working experiences. Therefore, this review combines refugee studies with research on forced labor. The aim was to understand the relationship of forced labor among ARs, with migration and asylum policies. We undertook a two-phase systematic review, i.e., systematic mapping and in-depth synthesis. We screened 4241 records from 10 databases, mapped 73 publications and synthesized 22 studies. Most of the research was exclusively qualitative. A frequent shortcoming was poor methods reporting. Publications rarely considered ethical issues and limitations. Common themes identified included: vulnerability and precarity generated by migration and asylum policies, forced labor through the lens of socio-legal status, and exploitation as a continuum. Another finding is the problem of overly broad and superficial questions that do not provide detailed data on forced labor among ARs. We refer to this as the detail deficit. This systematic review addresses the U.N. Sustainability Goal 16.2 to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence against and torture of children.

Keywords: systematic review, asylum policy, refugee, forced labor, the detail deficit