Background

The ILO estimates that almost 21 million people are victims of forced labour worldwide, ninety per cent of whom are victimized by private agents. Forced labour in the private economy generates US $150 billion in illegal profits per year. Most victims receive little or no earnings, and work for long hours in extremely poor and unsafe conditions. Many of the victims are trafficked, usually across international borders.
In June 2014, government, employer and worker representatives from the 185 member States of ILO responded to the urgent need for action, adopting a new legally binding Protocol, supplemented by a Recommendation in order to strengthen the global efforts to eliminate forced labour and human trafficking.
The Protocol strengthens the international legal framework by creating new obligations to prevent forced labour, to protect victims and to provide access to remedy, such as compensation for material and physical harm.

Objectives

The side event will:

• provide insights into the new international instruments on forced labour;
• discuss the linkages between these new instruments and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;
• highlight the implications for governments and businesses and how stakeholders can put these new standards in practice , including in addressing forced labour and trafficking

For more information, click here