Forced labour

Forced labour takes different forms, including debt bondage, trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are often the most vulnerable – women and girls forced into prostitution, migrants trapped in debt bondage, and sweatshop or farm workers kept there by illegal means and paid little or nothing.

Facts and figures

Almost 21 million people are victims of forced labour – 11.4 million women and girls and 9.5 million men and boys.
Almost 19 million victims are exploited by private individuals or enterprises and over 2 million by the state or rebel groups.
Of those exploited by individuals or enterprises, 4.5 million are victims of forced sexual exploitation.
Those who exact forced labour generate vast illegal profits.
Domestic work, agriculture, construction, manufacturing and entertainment are among the sectors most concerned.
Migrant workers and indigenous people are particularly vulnerable to forced labour.

Key resources

Labour standards

Reports and documents

Latest news

Conference

Africa needs new solutions to combat forced labour, human trafficking and slavery

20 November 2013
Anti-Human Trafficking Week

ILO calls for more international cooperation to fight human trafficking

18 October 2013

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Focus on

Conference

Combating forced labour and human trafficking in Africa - Current responses and a way forward
19-20 November 2013, Lusaka, Zambia
The ILO is organizing a tripartite conference to assess current responses, to document good practices and lessons learnt, to devise a strategy and build a coalition to champion the fight against forced labour and human trafficking in Africa.

Multimedia

Work in Freedom: Making migrant worker safer for women from South Asia
1. ILO videos on Forced Labour
2. ILO photos on Forced Labour

Contact us

ILO Special Action Programme against Forced Labour

In 2002, the ILO has established a special programme to intensify its efforts to tackle forced labour and the conditions that give rise to it.