On 22 August 2019, Lesotho deposited its instrument of ratification of the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930, thereby becoming the thirty-seventh country worldwide to ratify the Protocol.

Through the ratification of the Protocol, Lesotho marks the ILO’s Centenary by expressing a strong commitment to tackle all forms of forced labour, including trafficking in persons. This ratification is also a crucial step towards the objective of 50 ratifications by the end of 2019.

The Protocol, adopted by an overwhelming majority by the International Labour Conference in 2014, calls on ratifying States to adopt effective measures to combat forced labour, including debt bondage, forced domestic labour or trafficking in persons, and to protect victims and ensure their access to remedies and compensation.

By ratifying the Protocol, Lesotho is moving ahead towards the achievement of decent work and the delivering of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG target 8.7.

This article has been developed in the framework of the "50 for Freedom" campaign (ILO Bridge project)