International Labour Standards
The Member States of the ILO, even if they have not ratified the Conventions on child and forced labour set out below, have an obligation to respect, to promote and to realize, in good faith and in accordance with the ILO Constitution, the principles concerning the fundamental rights which are the subject of the following Conventions:
The Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) establishes a global framework for setting and implementing minimum age requirements for employment, protecting the rights of young workers, prohibiting the employment of children under the age of completing compulsory education and not less than 15 years.
The Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) aims to eliminate the most harmful forms of child labour including slavery, forced labour, child trafficking, and hazardous work.
The Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) provides a definition of forced or compulsory labour, prohibits them, requires that they be punishable as a penal offence and that penalties should be adequate and strictly enforced, and stipulates exceptions on what would not be forced labour.
The Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105) prohibits forced or compulsory labour as a means of political coercion or education or as a punishment for holding or expressing political views or views ideologically opposed to the established political, social or economic system; as a method of mobilizing and using labour for purposes of economic development; as a means of labour discipline; as a punishment for having participated in strikes; and as a means of racial, social, national or religious discrimination.
The Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 aims to advance prevention, protection and compensation measures, as well as to intensify efforts to eliminate all forms of forced labour, including trafficking in persons.
The ILO’s efforts to end child labour and forced labour
Social justice means ending unacceptable forms of work that deny workers their basic human rights at work.
The ILO has established a robust legal framework of international labour standards to guide the eradication of child labour and forced labour. Through extensive research, the ILO provides global estimates of modern slavery, forced labour, and child labour, aiding in policy formulation as well as national action plans, and works with governments, employers, and workers on advocacy and awareness campaigns. Furthermore, the ILO assists in collecting essential data on the prevalence and impact of forced labour, using this information to shape evidence-based policies and actions.
Moreover, the ILO strengthens government, worker, and employer roles in combating child labour and forced labour through training programmes for law enforcement, support for trade unions in informal sectors, and collaboration with employers to create tools and initiatives to promote replicable good practices.
The ILO also leverages networks and platforms to drive sustainable change. For example, the Child Labour Platform addresses child labour in supply chains by providing concrete solutions and supporting member companies through due diligence. The ILO Global Business Network on Forced Labour connects businesses globally to eradicate forced labour, fostering collaboration and finding sustainable solutions. And the ILO is a founding member of Alliance 8.7, hosting its Secretariat and leading a global partnership against forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking, and child labour.
The 8.7 Accelerator Lab aims to optimize the effectiveness of development cooperation in contributing to the eradication of forced labour and child labour. This is done by targeting interventions at the national, regional and global levels that foster and develop political commitment, address root causes of forced labour and child labour, focus on vulnerable populations, create and share knowledge, develop sustainable financing models and leverage innovation.
Accelerating action for the elimination of child labour in supply chains in Africa (ACCEL Africa)
The Accelerating action for the elimination of child labour in supply chains in Africa (ACCEL Africa) project targets the root causes of child labour in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, and Uganda in the cocoa, coffee, cotton, gold, and tea supply chains. The project contributes to strengthening policies, institutional frameworks, and innovative solutions while promoting knowledge sharing, partnerships, and financing. Occupational safety and health, livelihoods, social protection, and youth employment are its key areas of intervention.
The Work in Freedom programme reduces vulnerability to trafficking and forced labour of 350,000 women and girls across migration pathways leading to the care work and textiles, clothing, leather and footwear industries at source and destination in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, Oman, Bahrein, Lebanon and Jordan. The programme addresses key drivers and vulnerabilities of human trafficking, such as gender and other forms of discrimination, through targeted social protection and empowerment, fair recruitment practices and evidence based policy advocacy.
From Protocol to Practice: A Bridge to Global Action on Forced Labour
The Bridge project supports governments, employers and workers in Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Uzbekistan, and in certain countries in the Pacific Islands, to reduce contemporary forms of forced labour. Putting the 2014 ILO Protocol on Forced Labour into practice means raising awareness; improving and enforcing national policies, action plans, and legislation; increasing research and knowledge, while enhancing access to social services and livelihood programmes for victims of forced labour.
