This article seeks to frame the precarity of migrant labour in a broader historical and geographical perspective that goes beyond a mere economistic and gender-neutral approach. Syrian refugee women are often violently exploited for their lack of socio-legal status and lack of freedom of movement, but their lives remain predominantly invisible. Low quality of work-life and precarious working conditions receive little media attention but are the reality for many Syrian migrants who are subject to oppressive labour practices. Forced labour has largely permeated the labour markets in the Middle East, while regulated labour has become the exception. The author highlights the importance of recognizing specific gendered risks in post-conflict environment analysis and that forced labour is not a static or singular notion but is experienced in diverse ways. Without such recognition, experiences are undocumented and are subsequently left out of the academic discourse.