Climate change is an escalating global crisis with profound implications for communities vulnerable to climate impacts, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh. The increasing frequency and intensity of climate-related events – ranging from flash floods and cyclones to salinity intrusion – are creating irreversible losses and damages.
For households with limited economic resources and weak social safety nets, these disruptions compromise livelihoods, food security and long-term resilience. The interplay of climate shocks and socioeconomic vulnerabilities compels many to undertake distress migration, often as a last resort to sustain their families and survive.
Bangladesh exemplifies these challenges, as climate impacts in regions such as Sylhet and Pirojpur continue to erode household stability. Sylhet faces recurrent flash floods, which devastate crops, while Pirojpur grapples with salinity intrusion and riverbank erosion that undermine farming and fishery-based livelihoods.
These cascading effects disproportionately impact marginalised groups, including women-headed households and smallholder farmers, pushing them to migrate internally to urban centres or internationally to Gulf countries. However, migration rarely resolves their vulnerabilities – instead, it often exposes them to exploitative labour conditions and precarious living arrangements, creating new risks.
This research examines the links between climate change, migration and vulnerability to modern slavery. It looks at the drivers behind migration decisions and highlights how systemic gaps in social protection exacerbate vulnerabilities. By integrating quantitative and qualitative data from two climate-vulnerable regions of Bangladesh, the study provides actionable insights and recommendations aimed at breaking the cycle of distress migration and exploitation.