Forced labour is a complex crime that affects all countries but often remains undetected. The ILO has developed this free self-guided e-learning course to provide concrete guidance to persons who work with potential victims, are engaged in the detection and identification of cases, are involved in investigating and prosecuting cases, or who provide assistance to victims.

The course is designed for front line officers who detect, identify or provide protection and assistance to victims, as well as for people who are likely to be in contact with potential victims or vulnerable groups. This may include trade unionists, employers, recruiters, labour attachés, social workers or health care providers.

The course will provide in-depth knowledge of what constitutes forced labour, its mechanisms and root causes, so it can also inform policy makers, governments and social partners to adopt and implement effective measures to tackle forced labour.

The course is articulated around 4 modules:

• Module 1 - Scope of Forced Labour (Quantitative and qualitative data)
• Module 2 - Defining Forced Labour and related concepts (Trafficking in persons, bonded labour and slavery, …)
• Module 3 - Detecting Forced Labour (Operational indicators)
• Module 4 - Protecting forced labour victims (Human centred approach; building trust to support investigation & prosecution)

Along your learning journey, you will uncover what forced labour means in practice nowadays, challenging some common myths and perceptions. Throughout the modules, you will receive concrete guidance from experienced frontline officers including labour inspectors, judges and police officers from different countries. Different quizzes and exercises, including several real cases, will provide you with opportunities to apply what you have learnt.

The course was developed in the framework of the ILO Bridge Project, funded by the US Department of Labor. The project aims to promote the ratification and implementation of the ILO Protocol on Forced labour. 

Funding for the development of this e-learning course was provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-27592-15-75-K--1. 100% percentage of the total costs of the Bridge Project is financed with Federal funds, for a total of 18,745,138.00 dollars. This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.