ILO Global Business Network on Forced Labour
The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Global Business Network on Forced Labour (GBNFL) brings together the ILO with businesses of all sizes and sectors, and their networks, from around the globe to eradicate forced labour. Operating across all sectors, and geographies, ILO GBNFL members work to engage smaller enterprises, develop actionable resources and tools, and devise local solutions that help shape national frameworks to create lasting change.
The challenge
In 2016 there were an estimated 25 million people in forced labour globally. Of these 16 million were thought to be women and girls and 4.3 million children. The COVID-19 crisis is likely to have worsened the situation by exacerbating root causes of forced labour, such as poverty, discrimination, and lack of access to social protection.
Forced labour is present in every region in the world. Migrant workers, estimated by the ILO to number 169 million worldwide, are among those particularly at risk of becoming victims. Businesses are serious about eradicating forced labour, as demonstrated by the extensive number of initiatives. But the task is huge and new forms of collaboration are needed.
Target 8.7 of the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all UN Member States, aims to eradicate forced labour by 2030. To turn this vision into reality, businesses and others need a collective and inclusive approach at global and country levels that ensures lasting impact.
A global business network
ILO GBNFL is a global business network coordinated by the ILO. This UN agency brings together governments, employers and workers to set international labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work. The network opened for membership in 2018.
ILO GBNFL reaches across sectors and geographies to advance the business case for an end to forced labour. The network is aligned with, and contributes to, other relevant international initiatives, in particular Alliance 8.7, the global partnership working to deliver on SDG Target 8.
ILO GBNFL key focus areas
Connect - Break silos by linking up business actors from across sectors and geographies to eradicate forced labour.
Convene - Support businesses to engage with other relevant stakeholders, including government bodies, to find sustainable solutions to the structural drivers of forced labour.
Innovate - Create spaces where members identify gaps, develop new ways of tackling forced labour, and devise methods to scale up solutions.
Support - Share clear-cut data, information and resources to help busy businesses take steps to tackle forced labour.
Our Members
ILO GBNFL members are businesses of all sizes and sectors, as well as employer and business membership organizations including industry trade groups and sectoral associations. Other business-led initiatives with complementary mandates and expertise can join as partners. By joining the ILO GBNFL members are called on to:
Eradicate. Take concrete steps to eradicate forced labour in all its forms in their organizations, supply chains, member organizations, sectors and beyond.
Advocate for a comprehensive and coordinated response to forced labour, including in dealings with government bodies
Uphold the principles of inclusivity and collaboration when working with other stakeholders to end forced labour.
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The ILO’s Fair Recruitment Initiative (FRI) builds momentum with its new advisory committee
Posted at February 8th 2022 12:00 AM | Updated as of February 8th 2022 12:00 AM
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How can technology help to improve migrant workers' recruitment process?
|30th March 2021 Time : 8:00am - 10:00am
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Use of digital technology in the recruitment of migrant workers
This research report shows that digital technology can play a significant role in making safe labour migration and fair recruitment a reality. It also gives valuable recommendations for how to make this happen.
Digital technology could be a game changer in migrant worker protection. The number of internet users around the globe continues to climb and the development of information and communications technologies (ICT) has been unprecedented since the onset of COVID-19. This has resulted in new digital products, including those aimed at migrant workers, such as apps, websites and web portals, internet radio, and electronic tickets.
How can digital ICT facilitate safe labour migration and fair recruitment? To answer this question, the ILO partnered with the United Nations University Institute in Macau to better understand why and how migrant workers use digital technology. A mixed-method study was carried out during the second half of 2020. It included a desk review, a survey, focus groups, key informant interviews, and a landscape analysis of relevant existing digital products.
Based on the research, the ILO is currently developing a short summary tool featuring tips and advice on how to design, develop and promote digital products for migrant workers. The ILO is also organizing a workshop for relevant stakeholders to share lessons from the research and discuss their implications. Participants in the workshop will jointly develop a roadmap setting out the next steps in unleashing the potential of digital technology for migrant workers.
The research is part of the Integrated Programme on Fair Recruitment (FAIR, phase II), which falls within the framework of the ILO’s Fair Recruitment Initiative (FRI) .
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Global: ITUC Migrant Recruitment Advisor
A new web platform aimed at migrant workers lists user reviews of recruitment agencies. By helping migrants avoid falling for false promises, the website is an important tool to promote fair recruitment.
While millions of workers migrate in search of a better life for themselves and their families, far too many are tricked by false promises made by unscrupulous recruitment agencies, including fake jobs, lower wages and unsafe working conditions. Some end up trapped in forced labour and other forms of modern slavery.
A new web platform has been launched to help protect migrant workers from abusive employment practices by providing them with peer-to-peer reviews about recruitment agencies in their country of origin and destination.
The Recruitment Advisor platform developed by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), with support from the ILO Fair Recruitment initiative , lists thousands of agencies in Nepal, the Philippines and Indonesia.
The platform allows workers to comment on their experiences, rate the recruitment agencies and learn about their rights. Initially available in English, Indonesian, Nepali and Tagalog, it will be further developed in more languages.
Governments provided the list of licensed agencies, and a network of trade unions and civil society organizations in all target countries ensures the sustainability of the platform by reaching out to workers. Ultimately the system will promote recruiters who follow a fair recruitment process, based on the ILO’s General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment, and will provide useful feedback to governments regarding the practices of licensed recruitment agencies, which could be used to complement more traditional monitoring systems.
Recruitment is a critical stage when migrant workers are more vulnerable to abuse. “Unscrupulous recruitment agencies take advantage of the lack of law enforcement by governments or because workers are simply not aware of their rights,” says ITUC General Secretary, Sharan Burrow. “It’s time to put power back into workers’ hands to rate the recruitment agencies and show whether their promises of jobs and wages are delivered.”
Typically, many workers are not aware that they should not pay recruitment fees to get a job. This principle is key and has been listed as one of the ILO principles to ensure fair recruitment.
“This platform can help migrant workers make critical choices at the time of planning their journey to work in a foreign country. We know that when a worker is recruited fairly, the risk of ending in forced labour is drastically reduced,” says ILO technical specialist Alix Nasri. “We strongly encourage workers to share their experiences so others can learn from them. A critical mass of reviews is needed for the platform to be really helpful for migrants.”
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Promoting fair and ethical recruitment in a digital world
|4th November 2021 Time : 8:00am - 10:00am
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The Global Forum for Responsible Recruitment
Posted at April 22nd 2020 12:00 AM | Updated as of April 22nd 2020 12:00 AM
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Peer-to-peer knowledge sharing webinar on fair recruitment and labour inspection
Posted at July 12th 2021 12:00 AM | Updated as of July 12th 2021 12:00 AM
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ITC-ILO training: Monitoring and enforcement of recruitment regulations - Establishing Fair Recruitment Processes
By the end of this module, participants will be able to:
- Understand governments’ responsibilities in regards to the monitoring and enforcement of recruitment regulations
- Have an introductory knowledge of the use of monitoring as an enforcement mechanism and its contribution to ensuring the fair recruitment of workers
- Recognize the key challenges associated with complaints mechanisms and access to justice for workers, including migrant workers
- Explore the most commonly used legislative mechanisms for prosecuting recruitment abuses
- Appreciate the particular role of trade unions and non-governmental organizations in promoting and monitoring fair recruitment
- Become familiar with pilot initiatives of workers’ organizations to protect and empower workers during the recruitment and placement process
- Become acquainted with self-regulation mechanisms adopted by private recruitment agencies
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Regulating labour recruitment to prevent human trafficking and to foster fair migration: Models, challenges and opportunities
This working paper presents the role of international labour standards in regulating recruitment and provides a preliminary overview of national laws, policies, regulations and enforcement mechanism which aim to prevent fraudulent recruitment practices and protect workers from unscrupulous labour recruiters. It aims to establish a framework and an initial baseline for the implementation of the second strategic pillar of the ILO’s Fair Recruitment Initiative – strengthening laws, policies and enforcement mechanisms to protect workers from abusive and fraudulent recruitment practices.
Overall, the paper addresses three main research questions:
- What are the main international labour standards with regards to labour recruitment and how have the ILO supervisory bodies assessed national regulation and its implementation?
- What are the different models and approaches to regulate labour recruitment? What are the most recent trends in terms of statutory regulation?
- How are private employment agencies monitored and how are statutory regulations enforced? What are the main challenges with regards to enforcement?
The paper also provides recommendations based on emerging national and regional experiences and identifies research gaps which should be tackled in the coming years.
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