REGIONAL KNOWLEDGE-SHARING WORKSHOP ON SKILLS TO COMBAT FORCED LABOUR

The Regional Knowledge-Sharing Workshop on Skills to Combat Forced Labour will take place on 16 November 2022, 1pm – 5pm (CET/GMT+1) and will address the following topics:

• Share knowledge and recent developments from their respective national contexts in relation to skills training to counter forced labour,
• Support the AUC & ILO strategies to further the implementation of target 8.7 in light of the 2021 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery
• Contribute to a regional awareness building around the topic,
• Discuss the scaling up of identified good practices from experts, researchers and leaders, and
• Explore the potential for more coordinated action on the topic.

The workshop will be in French and English and to be part of this event

Less than a week to go before our Regional Knowledge-Sharing Workshop on Skills to Combat Forced Labor, we reveal the three panel discussions and invite you to meet some of our panellists

The number of people trapped in modern day slavery has increased by roughly 25% since 2016 to 50 million people—, which translates to 10 million more men, women, and children having fallen victim to this malicious practice. 27.6 million of these victims of modern-day slavery are trapped in working situations of severe exploitation for which they have not offered themselves voluntarily and that they cannot refuse or leave due to coercion, including any other sort of threat and menace of any penalty levelled against them—constituting forced labour.1 Forced labour is a phenomenon that touches all countries, regardless of their wealth and level of development, which means that the fight against this practice is a global effort.

In its work to counter modern day slavery globally, the ILO has established the crucial role of education and training programmes as a tool to aid victims or would-be victims of the practice. The ILO intervenes through raising awareness about forced labour to ensure its prevention, directly supporting vulnerable groups to not fall prey to human trafficking or other forms of modern-day slavery, and aiding victims in recovering and reintegrating into social and economic life. In addition, the ILO, in collaboration with Alliance 8.7, launched a Skills Innovation Challenge Call to invite innovators to propose new and practical ideas and solutions in regard to forced labour with the potential for sustainability, scalability and replication on a wide scale. On November 15, 2021, the winners were announced. The ILO has also created a Community of Practice to provide a forum for experts, practitioners, and other stakeholders to exchange with and learn from one another to further their own work to combat and prevent forced labour with skills.

The ITCILO has undertaken a variety of activities building on ILO tools to further the work of eradicating forced labour with skills education and training.

• Two new knowledge products one guide focused on the prevention of forced labour, and the other on the reintegration of its victims were developed to assist governments, NGOs and other stakeholders in their work to eradicate modern day slavery.
• Regular courses,
• A free MOOC on combatting forced labour through skills and lifelong learning has been made available online.

• In December 2019, delegates of governments, employers, and workers from 49 African countries ratified the Abidjan Declaration in Côte d’Ivoire, which acknowledged that “serious concerns remain with rising inequalities, unemployment, underemployment, informality, young people that are not in education, employment or training, child and forced labour, human trafficking, governance gaps, gender gaps, working poverty, low social protection coverage, and unsustainable rural–urban migration,” and set “making decent work a reality for Africa’s youth, developing skills, technological pathways and productivity for a brighter future in Africa, transforming Africa’s informal and rural economy for decent work, and respecting international labour standards, promoting social dialogue and ensuring gender equality” as one of their main priorities for action.
• The African Union Commission outlined a 10 Year Action Plan on Child Labour which comprises a comprehensive strategy to achieve Sustainable Development Goals Target 8.7 with the aim to “eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.”
• The AU Continental Strategy for Technical and Vocational Educational and Training (TVET) to Foster Youth Employment that calls for improving access and participation of women and vulnerable groups to push towards the realisation of the continent’s goals concerning education and youth as outlined in the AU’s Agenda 2063. The AUC and ILO join their efforts through a common work plan to implement these strategies