From 2020 to 2024, Free the Slaves, in collaboration with Manav Sansadhan Evam Mahila Vikas Sansthan (MSEMVS), worked alongside communities in India to strengthen protections for migrant workers through the Safe International Migration Project. At the heart of this effort were Migrant Vigilance Committees (MVCs), established across 30 communities to serve as locally rooted mechanisms for prevention, awareness, and rapid response.
Each MVC brought together a cross-section of trusted local actors, including village heads and frontline government workers from the medical, labour, and social welfare departments. Because these committee members were already embedded in their communities, they were well positioned to engage directly with migrant workers and their families, sharing information, identifying risks, and responding to concerns as they emerged.
While the MVCs were initially piloted within a defined project timeframe, ensuring their sustainability beyond the life of the project was a critical priority.
Sustaining Community Action Beyond the Project
In July 2025, one year after the Safe International Migration Project concluded, teams from Free the Slaves and MSEMVS returned to the participating communities to formally assess the status and ongoing functionality of the Migrant Vigilance Committees. Although informal communication with MVC members had continued throughout the year, this visit provided an opportunity to review their activities, document outcomes, and refresh knowledge on safe migration practices.
The findings were encouraging. MVC members reported that they had continued several core activities even after the project ended, demonstrating strong community ownership and sustainability. These activities included:
- Briefing prospective migrant workers using the SAFE TIPS Guide
- Maintaining community registers of outgoing migrants
- Raising awareness about government schemes and agencies that support safe migration
- Reporting emergency cases involving community members abroad, including accidents or deaths
- Using social media to share verified information
- Conducting peer awareness sessions during local gatherings
Together, these actions show how community-based structures can continue to function as trusted sources of information and protection, long after formal project support has ended.
One Mothers Experience
Before she became a leader in her community, Sunita Devi (alias) was a mother trying to protect her family in the face of uncertainty.
Living in Mirzapur district, Sunita had watched migration reshape the lives of families around her. Some returned home safely. Others did not. Stories of exploitation, abuse, and unpaid wages circulated quietly through the community, leaving behind fear and unanswered questions. When her eldest son, Rajesh (alias), began talking about seeking work abroad, Sunita felt torn. She wanted a better future for him, but she had no way of knowing how to protect him from the risks she had seen others face.
At the time, migration felt like a gamble, shaped by rumors, informal recruiters, and a lack of reliable information.
That began to change when Sunita became involved in the Safe International Migration Project, implemented by Free the Slaves in partnership with Manav Sansadhan Evam Mahila Vikas Sansthan (MSEMVS). As a staff member of the medical department, she joined her local Migrant Vigilance Committee (MVC) and participated in SAFE TIPS workshops focused on preventing exploitation and trafficking through informed migration.
For the first time, Sunita was introduced to practical tools that made the migration process clearer and safer. She learned how to verify recruitment agents, understand employment contracts, and ensure essential pre-departure requirements including insurance and medical checks were in place. Migration, she realized, did not have to be unsafe if families had access to the right information and support.
With this knowledge, Sunita’s fear gave way to confidence. She began to see a pathway forward for her son grounded in legal, transparent processes rather than informal promises. She shared that she would visit the National Skill Development Corporation International (NSDCI) office in Varanasi to enroll Rajesh in skills training that connects workers with registered international recruiters. Through NSDCI, a government-led institution, workers receive training and support to access jobs in the global labor market through approved channels.
But the impact of Sunita’s engagement did not stop with her own family.
As an active member of the Migrant Vigilance Committee, she began supporting others in her village who were facing the same difficult decisions. She now counsels parents using the SAFE TIPS Guide, helps families connect with government-approved migration offices, and encourages them to verify recruiters before agreeing to overseas work. What once felt like private fear has become shared knowledge that passes from one household to another.
Sunita’s story reflects how community-based approaches can change not only individual outcomes, but collective norms. By equipping local leaders with practical tools and trusted information, Migrant Vigilance Committees help ensure that migration decisions are informed, safer, and rooted in dignity. In doing so, they disrupt the conditions that allow exploitation to take hold—strengthening protection not just for one family, but for an entire community.
