ILO Report on Forced Labour – Victimization – Women & Girls

GENEVA
(ILO News) – In a new study on the patterns of forced labour worldwide, the
International Labour Office (ILO) says the “opportunity cost” of coercion to
the workers affected reaches over USD 20 billion per year.

The report, entitled The Cost of Coercion (Note
1), also details the growing number of unethical, fraudulent and criminal
practices that can lead people into situations of forced labour, and calls for
increased efforts to eradicate the practices.

The report also charts the significant progress on the international and
national levels in reducing and preventing forced labour (Note
2), but warns of the possible impact of the global economic and jobs
crisis.

“Forced labour is the antithesis of decent work”, said ILO Director-General
Juan Somavia. “It causes untold human suffering and steals from its victims.
Modern forced labour can be eradicated, providing there is a sustained
commitment by the international community, working together with government,
employers, workers and civil society.”

Moreover, the report estimates that the “opportunity cost” of coercion to
the workers affected by these abusive practices, in terms of lost earnings, now
reaches over USD 20 billion. This presents a powerful economic argument, as
well as a moral imperative, as to why governments must now accord higher
priority to these concerns.

Noting that it was being issued amid the worst economic and financial crisis
for many decades, the ILO report added that “in such a crisis situation, it is
the vulnerable who suffer the most. At such times it is all the more necessary
to ensure that adjustments are not made at the expense of the safeguards that
have been painstakingly put in place to prevent forced labour and trafficking
abuse in supply chains”.

The study paints a mixed picture of global efforts to combat forced labour.
While most countries have introduced legislation that deals with forced labour
as a criminal offence and the issue itself is no longer hidden or taboo, others
are finding it difficult to identify cases of abuse, let alone define the
adequate policy responses.

The report points out that among the intensified international and national
efforts to reduce and prevent forced labour, are new laws and policies at
national and regional level as well as a growing provision of social protection
for those most at risk of forced labour and trafficking.

“Most forced labour is still found in developing countries, often in the
informal economy and in isolated regions with poor infrastructure, labour
inspection and law enforcement”, the report says. “This can only be tackled
through integrated policies and programmes, mixing law enforcement with
proactive measures of prevention and protection, and empowering those at risk
of forced labour to defend their own rights.”

“We must never forget that forced labour is a serious criminal offence that
requires criminal punishment” said Roger Plant, head of the ILO’s Special
Action Programme to combat Forced Labour. “But we must also remember that
forced labour is often poorly defined in national legislation, making it
difficult to address the multiple subtle ways in which workers can be denied
their freedom. The challenge is to address these problems in an integrated way,
through prevention and law enforcement, using both labour and criminal
justice”.

Note 1 – The cost of coercion,
Global Report under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental
Principles and Rights at Work 2009, International Labour Office, Geneva. ISBN
978-92-2-120628-6.

Note 2 – The previous ILO report on
forced labour published in 2005 provided figures showing that some 12.3 million
persons worldwide were in some form of forced labour or bondage. Of these, 9.8
million were exploited by private agents, including more than 2.4 million in
forced labour as a result of human trafficking.

• Forced
  Labour: Facts and Figures – The Cost of Coercion, Regional Perspectives:
  AFRICA – [pdf
  38 KB]

• Forced
  Labour: Facts and Figures – The Cost of Coercion, Regional Perspectives:
  ASIA – [pdf
  46 KB]

• Forced
  Labour: Facts and Figures – The Cost of Coercion, Regional Perspectives:
  AMERICAS – [pdf
  37 KB]

• Forced
  Labour: Facts and Figures – The Cost of Coercion, Regional Perspectives:
  EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA – [pdf
  39 KB]

• Forced
  Labour: Facts and Figures – The Cost of Coercion, Regional Perspectives:
  MIDDLE EAST – [pdf
  37 KB]