Forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking
Facts and figures
- 49.6 million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, of which 27.6 million were in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriage.
- Of the 27.6 million people in forced labour, 17.3 million are exploited in the private sector; 6.3 million in forced commercial sexual exploitation, and 3.9 million in forced labour imposed by state.
- Women and girls account for 4.9 million of those in forced commercial sexual exploitation, and for 6 million of those in forced labour in other economic sectors.
- 12% of all those in forced labour are children. More than half of these children are in commercial sexual exploitation.
- The Asia and the Pacific region has the highest number of people in forced labour (15.1 million) and the Arab States the highest prevalence (5.3 per thousand people).
- Addressing decent work deficits in the informal economy, as part of broader efforts towards economic formalization, is a priority for progress against forced labour.
News
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© AFP 2023
Press release
ILO Myanmar Commission of Inquiry finds far-reaching violations of freedom of association and forced labour Conventions
04 October 2023
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© PKPROD MEDIA/ILO 2023
Labour migration
ILO opens the 2023 Global Media Competition on Labour Migration
25 September 2023
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News
ILO teams up with University of Diponegoro in a bid to combat forced labour in the fishing industry
05 September 2023
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Ship to shore
ILO, EU, Stella Maris partner to protect Filipino migrant fishers
02 August 2023
Focus on
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The Fair Recruitment Initiative
The ILO has launched a global “Fair Recruitment Initiative” to: (i) help prevent human trafficking; (ii) protect the rights of workers, including migrant workers, from abusive and fraudulent practices during the recruitment and placement process; and (iii) reduce the cost of labour migration and enhance development gains.
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2030 Agenda for sustainable development
ILO contributions to achieve SDG Targent 8.7
Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and end child labour in all its forms.
It's time to ratify the ILO's Forced Labour Protocol
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The new legally-binding ILO Protocol on Forced Labour aims to strengthen global efforts towards combating forced labour, trafficking and slavery-like practices. Governments now have the opportunity to ratify the Protocol and integrate new measures at the national and regional levels to combat this crime.
Publications
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Country Baselines
2022 Annual Review under the follow-up to the ILO 1998 Declaration - Compilation of baseline tables, by country
23 June 2023
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© ILO 2023
Project results in Peru
Results of the CLEAR Cotton project in Peru
28 February 2023
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© ILO 2023
Project results in Pakistan
Results of the CLEAR Cotton project in Pakistan
28 February 2023