All news: forced labour + trafficking in persons

Turkmenistan expands local outreach to prevent child and forced labour

Around 1,500 people across 35 etraps in Turkmenistan took part in an ILO-supported awareness-raising initiative on preventing child and forced labour, particularly in the cotton harvest.

Labour standards

Nepal ratifies key ILO instruments on labour inspection and forced labour

Nepal’s ratification of two key ILO instruments strengthens the legal framework for labour inspection and action against forced labour, supporting better protection of workers and compliance with international labour standards.

ILOSTAT blog

Can AI help strengthen human trafficking questionnaires before fieldwork?

A new approach uses anonymized trafficking case records to assess whether survey questions are likely to identify the cases they are designed to measure.

ILO-UNODC Partnership

Joint initiative strengthens protection for Indonesian women migrant workers

A joint ILO-UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) initiative under the EU-funded PROTECT project is building capacity and coordination to counter trafficking and exploitation across five Indonesian districts with high levels of labour...

Italy ratifies the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention

The Government of Italy deposited the instrument of ratification for the Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention, becoming the 65th ILO Member State to ratify the Protocol.

ILO and European Union launch project to promote decent work and prevent child and forced labour in Turkmenistan

EU-funded ILO project will support national efforts to strengthen labour standards and address child labour and forced labour with a focus on the cotton sector.

Op-ed

Waiting for Godot: The long wait for Indonesian fishers' rights at sea

Albert Bonasahat, ILO National Project Coordinator for the Ship to Shore Rights South‑East Asia: Safe Migration for Decent Work in the Blue Economy Project, highlights that as the 2026 ratification deadline for ILO Convention 188 approaches, the...

ILO and Nestlé partner to advance labour rights in coffee supply chains

ILO and Nestlé launch a two-year project to promote fair recruitment and labour rights in coffee supply chains in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

Interview

Q&A on Critical Minerals and the Work of the ILO

This interview explores the International Labour Organization's (ILO) work at the intersection of labor rights and the fast-growing critical minerals sector. In this Q&A with Casper N. Edmonds and Camila Meireles, two leading ILO experts discuss how...

Columbia University students investigate root causes of forced labour

During a week at ILO headquarters in Geneva, Columbia University students tested methods and evidence on why forced labour persists, with particular attention to how crises increase risk. The visit paired hands-on work with ILO experts to help turn...

International Labour Standards

Greece ratifies two occupational safety and health instruments and the Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention

The Government of Greece deposited the instruments of ratification for three International Labour Standards and has now ratified all ILO’s fundamental instruments.

The United Arab Emirates ratifies the Protocol to Convention No. 29, reaffirming its commitment to fight against forced labour

The United Arab Emirates becomes the sixty third country worldwide and the second among members of the Gulf Cooperation Council to ratify this instrument.

Video

Human trafficking prevention month: Making the invisible visible

January marks Human Trafficking Prevention Month. An ILO senior researcher explains how the Standard Tools for Analysing Trafficking in Persons (STATIP) project, created with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat...

Safe seas, fair work: Indonesia’s push for ratification of ILO Convention No. 188 on Work in Fishing

The provincial meeting in Batam, Riau Islands Province, reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to safe migration practices in fishing.

ILO showcases groundbreaking survey on Decent Work in Marine Fishing and calls for global replication at Blue Justice 2025

At the Blue Justice Conference in Copenhagen, the ILO presented Indonesia’s pioneering “Survey on Decent Work in Marine Fishing”, calling on governments to adopt similar evidence-based tools to combat forced labour and trafficking in the global...

International Migrants Day

Indonesia amplifies women migrant workers’ voices and cross border solidarity for fair recruitment and violence-free workplaces

The ILO and its partners support the Government of Indonesia in promoting the protection of migrant workers’ rights and advancing gender‑responsive labour migration governance.

Malaysia plans strengthened response to forced labour

A proposed new national action plan will help Malaysia reach its goal of eliminating forced labour by 2030.

ILO and IOE launch third edition of “Combating forced labour: A handbook for employers and business”

This third edition provides practical tools for companies to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for actual and potential forced labour impacts in operations and supply chains, as well as guidance for employers’ organizations to support their...

Rise for Impact

Uzbekistan strengthens national capacities to advance fundamental principles and rights at work

Government officials from Uzbekistan participate in the 2025 Global Academy on fundamental principles and rights at work (FPRW) to strengthen labour rights, enhance supply chain governance and support evidence-based policy implementation.

Child labour

Advancing action against child labour in the Philippines

A strengthened Monitoring and Evaluation Framework aims to advance action by tracking progress, enhancing accountability and supporting inclusive action to eliminate child labour in the Philippines.