This special edition of IUR marks a concerted effort by trade unions worldwide to better understand, engage with, and take steps to challenge the continuation of slavery and forced labour. It was produced with the support and assistance of the ITUC’s Global Trade Union Alliance against Forced Labour and Trafficking (which is supported by the ILO Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour (SAP-FL)). Jeoren Beirnaert, Co-ordinator of the ITUC’s Alliance joined the Editorial Board of IUR as a guest member for this edition. Roger Plant, Head of the ILO’s SAP-FL, highlights some of the ILO’s activities against forced labour and human trafficking that have taken place since the establishment of the SAP-FL project, in 2001.