By Loretta B Manele

Only 3 out of 500 people absconded whilst working overseas as migrant workers.

Nathalie Hanley, IOM (International Organization for Migration), UN Migration, Programme Manager in Solomon Islands spoke briefly with the media after IOM launched its “Returned Migrant Workers in Solomon Islands” January 2025 report last month at the Heritage Park Hotel.

She said one of the questions people were asked during a survey for the report was if they absconded or left their jobs and the reason for it.

According to IOM’s survey, Hanley stated that only 3 out of 500 respondents reported that they absconded and referred to it is a very small percentage.

She said these three people reported that they absconded from their jobs because they were experiencing unfair treatment at their workplaces.

Hanley mentioned that if people abscond it creates a vulnerability because if they’re employed outside the framework of the formal labour mobility agreements that they went through, there’s less protection for them.

“And in this case, it’s because people were receiving unfair treatment at their original site of employment, and I guess weren’t able to get a successful resolution to that situation, so opted to remove themselves from it.”

According to the report, these three people were employed in the agriculture and farming sector.

All three reported that during the period they absconded from their jobs, they did not face any challenges with authorities and their second employer provided a better working environment for them.

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