Fact
File
Forced
Labour: A social evil
At
least 12.3 million people are trapped in forced labour
around the world, the International Labour Office (ILO)
said in a new study released by ILO. The ILO Director-General
Juan Somavia called forced labour "a social evil
which has no place in the modern world".
The
new report, entitled "A global alliance against forced
labour", says that nearly 10 million people are exploited
through forced labour in the private economy, rather than
imposed directly by states. Of these, the study estimates
a minimum of 2.4 million to be victims of human trafficking.
The
report also provides the first global estimate of the
profits generated by the exploitation of trafficked women,
children and men - US$ 32 billion each year, or an average
of US$ 13,000 from every single trafficked forced labourer.
"Forced
labour represents the underside of globalisation and denies
people their basic rights and dignity", Mr. Somavia
said. "To achieve a fair globalisation and decent
work for all, it is imperative to eradicate forced labour."
The
report is the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken
by an intergovernmental organisation of the facts and
underlying causes of contemporary forced labour. It was
prepared under the Follow Up to the Declaration on Fundamental
Principles and Rights at Work adopted by the ILO in 1998
and will be discussed at the Organisation's annual International
Labour Conference in June.
The
new study confirms that forced labour is a major global
problem which is present in all regions and in all types
of economy. Of the overall total, some 9.5 million forced
labourers are in Asia, which is the region with the highest
number; 1.3 million in Latin America and the Caribbean;
660,000 in sub-Saharan Africa; 260,000 in the Middle East
and North Africa; 360,000 in industrialised countries;
and 210,000 in transition countries.
Forced
economic exploitation in such sectors as agriculture,
construction, brick-making and informal sweatshop manufacturing
is more or less evenly divided between the sexes. However,
forced commercial sexual exploitation entraps almost entirely
women and girls. In addition, children aged less than
18 years bear a heavy burden, comprising 40 to 50 per
cent of all forced labour victims.
Approximately
one-fifth of all forced labourers globally are trafficked
but the proportion varies widely from region to region,
the report says. In Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan
Africa, the proportion of trafficked persons is less than
20 per cent of all forced labour, while in industrialised
and transition countries and in the Middle East and North
Africa, trafficking accounts for more than 75 per cent
of the total.
Most
forced labour today is still exacted in developing countries
where older forms of forced labour are sometimes transmuting
into newer ones, notably in a range of informal sector
activities, the report says. Debt bondage frequently affects
minorities - including indigenous peoples - that have
long experienced discrimination on the labour market,
and locks them in a vicious cycle of poverty from which
they find it ever more difficult to escape. Many victims
are working in remote geographical areas, where labour
inspection presents a particular challenge.
The
report sheds new light on the emerging forms of forced
labour affecting migrant workers, in particular irregular
migrants in rich and poor destination countries alike.
It also examines the labour market conditions under which
forced labour is most likely to occur, such as where there
are inadequate controls over recruitment agencies and
subcontracting systems, or weak labour inspection.
The
appearance of new forms of coercion in today's globalise
economy also raises some difficult policy questions. The
report examines the strong pressures to deregulate labour
markets as part of the overall drive to reduce labour
costs and thereby increase competitiveness.
"Forced
labour is the very antithesis of decent work, the goal
of the ILO", says Mr. Somavia. "There is critical
need for devising effective strategies against forced
labour today. This requires a blend of law enforcement
and ways of tackling the structural roots of forced labour,
whether outmoded agrarian systems or poorly functioning
labour markets".
The
report makes the case that forced labour can be abolished,
but only if governments and national institutions pursue
active polices, vigorous enforcement and show strong commitment
to eradicating such treatment of human beings. It also
presents the positive experience in selected countries
that, with ILO assistance, are now tackling forced labour
by adopting strong legislation and enforcement mechanisms,
implementing policies and programmes to tackle the underlying
causes, and helping victims rebuild their lives.
"Although
the numbers are large, they are not so large as to make
abolishing forced labour impossible", Mr. Somavia
says. "Thus, the ILO calls for a global alliance
against forced labour involving governments, employers'
and workers' organisations, development agencies and international
financial institutions concerned with poverty reduction,
and civil society including research and academic institutions.
With political will and global commitment over the next
decade, we believe forced labour can be relegated to history."
Source:
International Labour Organisation.
