Forced labour, human trafficking and slavery
ILO is a specialized agency of the United Nations
Promoting jobs, protecting people
ILO home > Topics > Forced labour, human trafficking and slavery

Forced labour, human trafficking and slavery

© AFP
Forced labour takes different forms, including debt bondage, trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are the most vulnerable – women and girls forced into prostitution, migrants trapped in debt bondage, and sweatshop or farm workers kept there by clearly illegal tactics 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.
  • Forced labour in the private economy generates US$ 150 billion in illegal profits per year.
  • Domestic work, agriculture, construction, manufacturing and entertainment are among the sectors most concerned.
  • Migrant workers and indigenous people are particularly vulnerable to forced labour.
Source ILO

Focus on

  1. © Munir Uz Zaman / AFP 2014

    Forced labour generates annual profits of US$ 150 billion

    ILO's report finds illegal gain from forced labour of about 21 million people amounts to three times more than prior estimates.

Latest news

  1. © Gwenn Dubourthoumieu / AFP 2014

    World Day against Trafficking in Persons

    Joint statement of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons

    30 July 2014

  2. © Anwar Mustafa / AFP 2014

    Rights at work

    Domestic work, Work like any other

    16 June 2014

List all »

Key resources

Labour standards

  1. C29 Forced Labour Convention, 1930
  2. C105 Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957
Reports and documents

  1. Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Standard Setting on Forced Labour
  2. Presentation concerning standard setting on forced labour
  3. Stopping forced labour and slavery-like practices: ILO strategy for 2012-2015
  4. 2012 Global estimate of forced labour
  5. ILO publications on forced labour

Lured by a job, trapped in forced labour

  1. In search of a job to support his family, a man accepts an offer from a recruiter and signs a contract for what looks like a good job with decent wages. Once at destination, the reality is very different.

    1. ILO videos on forced labour
    2. ILO photos on forced labour

Follow us on


Twitter

Facebook

YouTube

End Slavery Now!

Browse resources

by regions/country
  1. Global (238)
  2. Europe and Central Asia (110)
  3. Asia and the Pacific (72)
  4. Americas (48)
  5. Africa (34)
  6. Brazil (23)
  7. Arab States (19)
  8. Myanmar (16)
  9. Thailand (16)

[+]

© 1996-2014 International Labour Organization (ILO) | Copyright and permissions | Privacy policy | Fraud alert | Disclaimer