Forced Labour Slavery

Over 28 million people worldwide are trapped in forced labour slavery - a form of modern slavery.

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How many people are in forced labour slavery?

50 million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, according to the latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery. Of these people, 28 million were in forced labour and 22 million were trapped in forced marriage.

What is forced labour slavery?

Forced labour slavery uses deception, threats or violence to coerce someone to work for little to no pay. Although slavery has been outlawed in nearly every country, millions of men, women and children are trapped in slavery in brick kilns, rice mills, garment factories, fishing operations and many other industries.

What does forced labour slavery look like?

Forced labour slavery is a violent crime. Physical and sexual assault are rampant. In many cases, IJM has documented people trapped in forced labour who have been beaten, gang raped, locked in tiny rooms, starved and even killed.

Victims who try and escape commonly report being tracked down, beaten and returned to the facility. But many victims of slavery don’t try to run away because owners use fear and deception that traps them more strongly than physical locks and walls.

Aung* was forced to work without pay for more than 12 hours a day – even when he was unwell.

16-year-old Aung was trafficked to work on a fishing raft in Myanmar's growing fishing industry. He never received any wages. Some nights, he only got two hours of sleep. Aung was terrified he would never see his family again.

But this was not the end of Aung’s story.

In partnership with the local Anti-Trafficking Task Force, police authorities brought Aung to safety.

“I’m thankful to have my son back. We don’t want other parents to go through the same feelings we had when our child disappeared,” said Aung’s mother.

A local NGO contacted IJM Myanmar for legal and aftercare support. Aung received counselling at a local shelter. He's now back in school and like many teenagers, he dreams of becoming a footballer.

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IJM combats forced labour slavery in Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Ghana, South Asia, and Thailand.

How does IJM stop forced labour slavery?

How does IJM work?

Bring people to safety

We partner with local authorities to bring people to safety from slavery and violence and provide survivors with aftercare. Over 85,000 people have been brought to safety with the help of IJM and partners.

Bring criminals to justice

We work alongside justice system officials to ensure that traffickers and perpetrators of abuse are held accountable, stopping the cycle of slavery and violence and deterring others from abusing vulnerable people.

We Strengthen Justice Systems

We collaborate with justice system and community leaders to respond effectively to forced labour slavery and violence. Together, we design improvements that serve survivors, deter criminals and dramatically decrease slavery.

Phase 1: Casework

IJM and our partners begin by pursuing justice in individual cases of slavery and violence, collaborating with local authorities to:

Investigate slavery and violence and relieve victims from abuse.
Hold criminals accountable for their crimes in court.
Serve survivors through aftercare programmes and support them through the legal process.

Phase 2: Sustainable Protection

Building on our relationships with local officials and experience guiding cases through the justice system, IJM and our partners collaborate with local authorities to:

Strengthen their capacity to proactively identify slavery and violence and enforce laws.
Move cases through the legal process more efficiently and effectively.
Ensure justice systems and social services serve survivors of trauma with sensitivity and are shaped by survivors’ experiences.

Protect more people like Aung from trafficking and modern slavery today

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Learn more abour forced labour slavery

The Facts

There are an estimated 50 million people held in slavery today. Of these people, 28 million were in forced labour and 22 million were trapped in forced marriage.
Almost one in eight of all those in forced labour are children (3.3 million). More than half of these are in commercial sexual exploitation.
Most cases of forced labour (86 per cent) are found in the private sector.
Forced labour in sectors other than commercial sexual exploitation accounts for 63 per cent of all forced labour, while forced commercial sexual exploitation represents 23 per cent of all forced labour.
Almost four out of five of those in forced commercial sexual exploitation are women or girls.

Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, ILO, Walk Free, IOM 2022

Understand The Issue

One of the most common ways labourers are entrapped is through false debts. An owner lures someone into slavery by offering a small advance payment for their labour. The owner then ensures it is impossible for the labourer to ever repay by inflating the debt owed with exorbitant interest charges, not paying the victim the promised wages and prohibiting him or her from working anywhere else. These false debts can be passed from one generation to the next; we have identified entire families (from grandparents to parents to children) who have been forced to work for years after accepting advance payments as low as £15.

What do others say about IJM?

IJM’s work has been recognised by the U.S. State Department, the World Economic Forum and leaders around the globe, as well as featured by The Guardian, The New York Times, Reuters, BBC and CNN, among many others.

How can I help?

Donate

By giving, you will help send freedom, protection and justice to people in forced labour slavery today, and help IJM's local teams and partners walk with people who have experienced slavery and violence so they can rebuild their lives in freedom.

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