Definitions are important both when seeking credible data and when taking action against forced labour and/or child labour. Indeed, in such a turbulent world, we are compelled to remain attentive to the changes promoted by the multinationals of humanism in order to help or assist the most vulnerable. Undoubtedly, forced labour remains a global challenge of enormous magnitude. Estimates by the ILO show an increase in the number of people affected, as well as in the illicit profits generated by this practice.
At a recent World Governments Summit held in Dubai from 3 to 5 February, Gilbert F. Houngbo highlighted the central role of labour market governance, skills development and social justice in shaping inclusive growth amid the digital and ecological transitions.
The Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Gilbert F. Houngbo, concluded his participation in the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he urged governments to place people, rights and obligations at the centre of economic transformation, warning that growth without decent work risks deepening inequality and social fragmentation. It is true that this Summit did not identify forced labour or child exploitation as its central theme, yet they are always implicitly present.
We continue to question, deeply, all this pageantry of meetings when we witness the reality of those children who carry out arduous tasks in mines and quarries, who work on plantations, or who are simply separated from their families to work in other households. Therefore, we know that this does not reflect “the best of all possible worlds.” They deserve something better, and we speak out and denounce so that this situation may change.
But to achieve change, a shared vision of what needs to be changed is required. Solving the problem begins with a first step—simple yet crucial: its definition. How we define a problem determines how we attempt to solve it. For this reason, international debates preceding the adoption of a new legal instrument require a lengthy period of deliberation on definitions and concepts.
Clear definitions are also necessary to measure change. Only by quantifying a problem can we understand whether it is decreasing or increasing over time, and whether we are on the right path toward solving it. Some problems are easier to measure than others, and everyone will agree that measuring “slavery” presents a host of difficulties. The hidden nature of the problem, political sensitivities and ethical considerations can make it more difficult to conduct national surveys capable of producing reliable data.
The Definition of Forced Labour
According to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) of the ILO, forced or compulsory labour means: “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily.” Forced labour may be imposed on adults and children by state authorities, private enterprises or individuals. It is found in all types of economic activity, such as domestic work, construction, agriculture, manufacturing, sexual exploitation, forced begging, and more, and it exists in all countries.
The Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention (Article 1, paragraph 3) explicitly reaffirms this definition.
This definition consists of three elements:
- Work or service refers to all types of work carried out in any activity, industry or sector, including the informal economy.
- Menace of any penalty encompasses a wide range of sanctions used to compel someone to work.
- Involuntariness: The expression “has not offered himself voluntarily” refers to consent freely given and with full knowledge by a worker to take up employment, as well as to the worker’s freedom to leave that employment at any time. This is not the case, for example, when an employer or recruiter makes false promises in order to induce a worker to accept a job that he or she would not otherwise have accepted.
The scope of the ILO instruments on forced labour enjoys almost universal ratification, meaning that nearly all countries are legally bound to respect their provisions and to report periodically on their implementation to the ILO’s supervisory bodies. Freedom from forced labour is a human right: all ILO Member States must respect the principle of eliminating forced labour, whether or not they have ratified the Conventions.
Forced Labour: Data and Figures
- Some 9.6 million people were living in conditions of modern slavery in 2021, of whom 27.6 million were in situations of forced labour and 22 million in situations of forced marriage.
- Of the 27.6 million people in forced labour, 17.3 million are exploited in the private sector; 6.3 million are in situations of forced commercial sexual exploitation; and 3.9 million are subjected to state-imposed forced labour.
- Women and girls account for 4.9 million of those in forced commercial sexual exploitation and 6 million of those in forced labour in other sectors of the economy.
- Twelve per cent of people in forced labour are children. More than half of these children are victims of forced commercial sexual exploitation.
- The Asia-Pacific region has the highest number of people in forced labour (15.1 million), while the Arab States have the highest prevalence (5.3 per thousand people).
Addressing decent work deficits in the informal economy, as part of broader efforts toward economic formalization, is a priority in advancing the fight against forced labour.
Thus, definitions matter. They are essential for producing reliable data and for guiding action. In short, despite the ravings of a president such as the Argentine libertarian Javier Milei and his “chainsaw,” accountability can and must be demanded in order to shift direction for those subjected to all kinds of threats under his current labour reform, aimed at the most exploited in the world.
Like Candide in Voltaire’s celebrated satire, when he arrives in Lisbon with his teacher Pangloss, he witnesses the horrors caused by a devastating earthquake. This is the first of a series of adversities that endanger his life, and by the end of his long journey Candide questions his teacher’s firm conviction that “all is for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds.” Ultimately, it reminds us that the fanaticism of some presidents can devour society.
*Article published in the Latin American Center for Strategic Analysis (CLAE, www.estrategia.la) reproduced with the author’s permission.
Uruguayan journalist resident in Geneva, former member of the United Nations Press Correspondents Association in Geneva, analyst Associated with the Latin American Center for Strategic Analysis (CLAE)