News on forced labour

March 2022

  1. Unpacking concepts of freedom and unfreedom in the world of work

    A series of special lectures and panel discussions presented by Work in Freedom programme.

June 2021

  1. Teamwork begins by building trust

    02 June 2021

    This impact story captures ILO's efforts towards creating a multi-stakeholder platform for achieving SDG Target 8.7

February 2017

  1. From brooms to books: Ranjita returns to school

    01 February 2017

    Many choose migration to escape poverty for themselves and their families. The ILO’s Work in Freedom programme reduces vulnerability to trafficking of women and girls by supporting informed migration, fair recruitment and decent work.

July 2015

  1. © B. Patel / ILO 2022
    Labour migration: The dark side of the coin

    29 July 2015

    A new ILO study exposes the pitfalls of labour migration for women domestic workers both within India and abroad and provides policy-makers and service providers with deeper insight into the nature of forced labour and trafficking in the region.

June 2015

  1. Kailash Satyarthi calls on ILO constituents to help make child labour history

    11 June 2015

    Nobel Peace Laureate, Kailash Satyarthi calls for immediate action on climate change and a child-friendly approach to disaster management, at a special sitting of the International Labour Conference. (Closed captions available)

March 2015

  1. Why framing the discourse on human trafficking is important - some thoughts

    05 March 2015

July 2013

  1. © Sajjad Hussain / AFP 2022
    DFID, ILO to launch new initiative to tackle trafficking of women and girls

    10 July 2013

  2. © Sajjad Hussain / AFP 2022
    Launch of DFID-ILO “Work in Freedom” programme

    The UK Department for International Development (DFID), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) will launch the new “Work in Freedom” programme to fight trafficking of women and girls from South-Asia.

May 2013

  1. Tackling Bonded Labour in Tamil Nadu

    03 May 2013

    In India's Tamil Nadu state, thousands of people desperate for money are offered advance payments to work in the region's many brick kilns. While this system has worked well enough in the past for both employers and workers, many workers run the risk of "debt bondage" because they cannot leave the worksite until they repay the advance in full. But the situation is changing now, by ILO working with government and employers, and showing workers how they can take more control of their own lives.

  2. A smart way to prevent bonded labour

    03 May 2013

    A young couple and their new baby are the first beneficiaries of a national health insurance scheme which now extends to migrant brick kiln workers at risk of bondage, in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.