2025 revised edition
ILO indicators of forced labour
The revised 2025 edition of the ILO Indicators of Forced Labour provides frontline actors with practical tools to detect forced labour. Grounded in decades of research, it highlights the most common indicators and explains how to interpret them in real-world contexts. This concise guide can also support referral and formal indetification processes, prosecution and data collection.
Forced labour remains one of the most severe violations of human rights, affecting millions of people around the world. This booklet translates international standards into operational indicators to help practitioners identify potential victims and trigger further investigation.
It outlines the most frequent signs of coercion and lack of consent, illustrated with real cases, and offers guidance on what to look for. Designed for labour inspectors, law enforcement, social workers, employers, and others who may encounter victims, these indicators are not exhaustive but serve as a flexible, evolving tool to support detection, referral, and data collection in the global fight against forced labour.
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Forced labour, modern slavery and trafficking in persons
First edition
ILO indicators of forced labour