Forced labour

Migrant worker working in Thailand’s fishery sector.

See more photos on forced labour in ILO Flickr photo library.
Forced labour takes many forms, including debt bondage, trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are usually the most vulnerable members of society – women and girls forced into sex work, migrants trapped in debt bondage, indigenous peoples with limited rights, sweatshop or farm workers restrained by illegal tactics and paid little or nothing. While the great majority of forced labour today is exacted by individuals and private entities, certain forms of state-imposed forced labour continue to persist.

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Key resources

  1. ILO indicators of forced labour

    ILO Indicators of Forced Labour booklet presents eleven indicators intend to help front-line criminal law enforcement officials, labour inspectors, trade union officers, NGO workers and others identify people who are possibly trapped in a forced labour situation and those who may require urgent assistance. The booklet is available in Burmese, Chinese, English, Khmer, Mongolian, Thai and Vietnamese language versions.