The ILO at Work: Results 2014-2015

In the spotlight: Combating forced labour

The project Strengthening and Disseminating Efforts to Combat Forced Labour in Brazil and Peru has contributed to the improvement of public policies in both countries.

According to the ILO, approximately 21 million people are victims of forced labour in the world and 1.8 million are victims of such practices in Latin America and the Caribbean. We share Peru’s concern about the need for reliable and systematized information about forced labour in the country. We also agree with Peru about the need to strengthen inter-agency coordination to combat forced labour."

Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) of the United States to Peru, Jeffrey M. Hovenier,
at the launch of the project in Lima, 13 March 2014
In Peru, a roadmap has been prepared for the implementation of the Intersectoral Protocol against Forced Labour through the Labour Inspectorate, which better coordinates the work of all relevant authorities to tackle this phenomenon.

The project has also trained justice officials (including prosecutors, the police and judges) and labour administration officials, and has provided for the collection and dissemination of knowledge on forced labour and risk factors through studies in key sectors (such as illegal logging, gold mining and domestic work), especially through South-South cooperation with Brazil.