Burundi rights group reports deaths and abuse of migrant workers

A Burundian rights organization, ALUCHOTO, reports that 12 Burundian women died in Arab countries between 2025 and May 2026 while working abroad. The group also claims that 121 other women experienced domestic or sexual violence, and 97 were unlawfully confined by employers.

ALUCHOTO coordinator Vianney Ndayisaba stated that recruitment agencies are failing to meet international standards, specifically regarding the provision of transparent employment contracts that detail wages and responsibilities.

In response, Senate President Gervais Ndirakobuca has called for a review of existing recruitment licenses and a halt to the approval of new agencies. He argued that the current 65 agencies in Burundi have turned recruitment into a business and suggested that agencies whose workers face issues abroad should lose their operating licenses.