Global Estimate of Modern Slavery

ILO and Walk Free Foundation to collaborate on Global Estimate of Modern Slavery

Joint research by the International Labour Organization and the Walk Free Foundation will provide critical data for measuring progress on achieving Target 8.7 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Press release | 17 March 2017
GENEVA (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) and Walk Free Foundation will work together to research the scale of modern slavery around the world. In a collaboration announced on 16 March 2017, the two organizations will jointly develop a single global estimate of modern slavery from which progress towards achieving SDG Target 8.7 can be benchmarked.

Drawing on thousands of responses from face-to-face interviews, the global estimate will provide further insights into the numbers behind slavery, with break-downs by region, age group and gender. The work will be undertaken in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), who will provide important support for research on migrants in crisis and data from their global victim assistance database.

Upon reaching an agreement, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said, “the estimates are a significant research undertaking that is essential if policies, interventions and resources are to be targeted effectively in the fight against modern slavery, forced labour, human trafficking and child labour. The ILO, Walk Free Foundation, IOM and other Alliance 8.7 partners are aligned in our objective to achieve Target 8.7.”
Under Target 8.7 of the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), world leaders committed to:
“Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms”.

Alliance 8.7, the global partnership of stakeholders committed to achieving Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7 by aligning efforts, was established to help achieve this ambitious undertaking by accelerating timelines, sharing knowledge, driving innovation and leveraging resources.

“Through our collaboration, Walk Free Foundation and the ILO have assembled the largest ever data set on modern slavery, including ground-breaking survey data from more than 50 countries. Combined with a comprehensive data set about the experiences of victims of trafficking, our research is making an enormous breakthrough in this sector. We are all working for a common purpose: understanding the scale of modern slavery, to ensure world’s governments, businesses, trade unions and the civil society are equipped with the information required to end slavery for once and for all,” said Andrew Forrest, Founder of the Walk Free Foundation.

The 2017 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery will be presented along with the 2017 Global Estimate of Child Labour to the IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour which will, within the framework of SDG Target 8.7, address forced labour issues and in this context deal with quality youth employment. The Conference will be held from 14-16 November 2017 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.



CONTACT:  
Martina Ucnikova
Walk Free Foundation
Email: martina@walkfreefoundation.org
Tel.: +61 428 997 881
 
John Dombkins
International Labour Organization
Email: dombkins@ilo.org
Tel.: +41 22 799 6711
 





INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the United Nations agency for the world of work. It sets international labour standards, promotes rights at work and encourages decent employment opportunities, the enhancement of social protection and the strengthening of dialogue on work-related issues. The ILO has a unique structure, bringing together governments, employers’ and workers’ representatives. It was founded in 1919 and has 187 member States. www.ilo.org

WALK FREE FOUNDATION
The Walk Free Foundation is an international human rights organisation founded by Andrew and Nicola Forrest. It encompasses their vision to see the end of modern slavery globally. The Foundation provides the information and capabilities required for countries to fight slavery in their jurisdictions. The Walk Free Foundation engages with governments (Global Slavery Index), business/corporations (Bali Process Business Forum) and global faiths (Global Freedom Network). www.walkfreefoundation.org

ALLIANCE 8.7
Alliance 8.7 is a global strategic partnership committed to achieving Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7, which calls on the world to “take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms”. Alliance 8.7 seeks to achieve Target 8.7 and related Targets 5.2, 16.2, 16.3 and 16.a through the alignment of global, regional and national efforts, and by focussing on accelerating timelines, sharing knowledge, driving innovation and leveraging resources. www.alliance87.org