Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour
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Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour

Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour

A Global Alliance against Forced Labour


Forced labour is a global problem, affecting almost all countries of the world. There are at least 12.3 million persons in forced labour today. Most victims are poverty-stricken people in Africa, Asia and Latin America, whose vulnerability is exploited by others for a profit. Yet over 350,000 women and men are also in forced labour in industrialized countries, trafficked for either labour or sexual exploitation.

With political will, forced labour can be eradicated. The ILO is promoting a Global Alliance to achieve this, with partner agencies pooling their efforts to wipe out all forced labour worldwide by 2015. This site promotes networking and information exchange, both on the disturbing facts and features of modern forced labour, and of innovative action by a range of partners to wipe it out once and for all.

News

  1. Caught at sea: fighting forced labour in the fishing industry

    17 June 2013

    The fishing sector is an important source of employment, income and food production for many countries. But there are serious incidents of abuse in some fisheries and fishing vessels. By Beate Andrees, head of the ILO’s Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour.

  2. Caught at Sea - Forced Labour and Trafficking in Fisheries

    31 May 2013

    This report examines recent literature and consolidates existing knowledge about forced labour and human trafficking in the fisheries, with the focus on fishing vessels engaged in commercial marine fisheries. It considers institutional and legal frameworks as well as multistakeholder initiatives that have the potential to affect the safety, living and working conditions of fishers. It also echoes the discussions of a consultation on forced labour and human trafficking in the fishing sector, held by the ILO in September 2012 and which identified some key priorities for a global action programme.

  3. Tackling Bonded Labour in Tamil Nadu

    03 May 2013

    In India's Tamil Nadu state, thousands of people desperate for money are offered advance payments to work in the region's many brick kilns. While this system has worked well enough in the past for both employers and workers, many workers run the risk of "debt bondage" because they cannot leave the worksite until they repay the advance in full. But the situation is changing now, by ILO working with government and employers, and showing workers how they can take more control of their own lives.

  4. Join our Q&A session on forced labour in the Middle East

    08 April 2013

    The head of the ILO Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour, Beate Andrees to host a Twitter Q&A on the forced labour situation in the Middle East on Wednesday 10 April.

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ILO events

  1. Course"Identifying and investigating cases of forced labour and trafficking"

    04 March 2013

    The main objective of the course is to train participants to better identify and investigate cases of forced labour, including trafficking for labour exploitation. The course addresses the different stages of the process (inspecting workplaces, interviewing victims, gathering evidence), with a focus on the private sector (textile, agriculture, domestic work, etc.).

  2. Meeting of Experts on Forced Labour and Trafficking for Labour Exploitation

    11 February 2013

    The purpose of the Meeting was to formulate recommendations to the Governing Body on the scope for possible standard setting to complement the ILO’s Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), and Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105).

  3. Training "Identifying and investigating cases of forced labour and trafficking"

    15 February 2012

    This course will train participants to better identify and investigate cases of forced labour and trafficking in persons for labour exploitation. It will address different stages of the investigative process, including detecting signs, inspecting workplaces, interviewing victims, and gathering other evidence. The course will focus on forced labour occurring in the private sector (including of textile, agriculture, and domestic workers), but will not specifically address sexual exploitation.

  4. Severe labour exploitation of migrant workers - latest developments in politics and practice

    26 September 2011

    At the occasion of the World Day of Decent Work on October 7 the DGB Berlin-Brandenburg and the Berlin Alliance to Combat Trafficking for Labour Exploitation (BBGM) are organizing a public event to discuss the latest development in politics and practice with regard to severe labour exploitation of migrant workers in Berlin. BBGM is an initiative involving the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Berlin, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the German Association of Trade Unions, and the Berlin State Department for Labor and Social Affairs.

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Selected ILO publications

  1. Combating forced labour: A handbook for employers and business
    22 October 2008

    This handbook provides guidance material and tools for employers and business to strengthen their capacity to address the risk of forced labour and human trafficking in their own operations and in global supply chains.

  2. The cost of coercion
    12 May 2009

    Forced labour is the antithesis of decent work. The least protected persons, including women and youth, indigenous peoples, and migrant workers, are particularly vulnerable. Modern forced labour can be eradicated with a sustained commitment and resources.

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