Criminals are reaping “obscene” profits of nearly one-quarter of a trillion dollars from forced labour, says the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Key-highlights of the Report

• Report Title: ‘Profits and poverty: The economics of forced labour’
• The report estimates that traffickers and criminals are generating close to USD 10,000 per victim, up from USD 8,269 (adjusted for inflation) a decade ago.
• Forced labour generates illegal profits worth USD 36 billion per year.
• In terms of profit per victim, figures were highest in Europe and Central Asia, followed by the Arab States, the Americas, Africa, and Asia and the Pacific.
• Forced commercial sexual exploitation accounts for more than two-thirds (73%) of the total illegal profits, despite accounting for only 27% of the total number of victims in privately imposed labour.
• These illegal profits are the wages that rightfully belong in the pockets of workers but instead remain in the hands of their exploiters, as a result of their coercive practices.

1: Dimension- Reason behind the situation

• Forced labour and higher profits: This increase is fuelled by both a growth in the number of people forced into labour (a form of modern slavery), as well as higher profits generated from the exploitation of victims.
• Lack of adequate livelihood options become more vulnerable to forced labour as they and may be easily tricked into accepting risky opportunities for survival.
• Limited Government intervention: While there are improved identification measures but legal frameworks, gaps in services available to survivors remained and only limited action has been taken to address systemic risk factors to forced labour.

2: Dimension- Impact of such exploitation

• Cycles of poverty and exploitation: Forced labour perpetuates cycles of poverty and exploitation and strikes at the heart of human dignity. 
• Multiple forms of coercion: It encompasses various forms of exploitation, including forced marriage, commercial sexual exploitation, human trafficking, deliberate and systematic withholding of wage, slavery-like practices and the sale and exploitation of children.

3: Dimension- Required Measures

• Investment: There is urgent need for investment in enforcement measures to stem illegal profit flows and hold perpetrators accountable.
• Enforcement actions: There is need for strengthening legal frameworks, providing training for enforcement officials extending labour inspection into high-risk sectors, and better coordination between labour and criminal law enforcement.
• Addressing root cause: Enforcement actions must be part of a comprehensive approach that prioritises addressing root causes and safeguarding victims.

Mains Practice Question

Q:  “Forced labour is the most dangerous form of modern slavery”. Comment