What is Forced Labor?
Dressember Reading Day #15
Every day during the month of December, we’re answering common questions and breaking down different aspects of human trafficking on our blog and Instagram. Join us in raising awareness about the injustice of human trafficking by sharing, donating, or joining the Dressember campaign (it’s not too late!).
Today we’re taking a closer look at forced labor. Despite being one of the most common forms of trafficking, it is commonly overlooked and misunderstood.
So, what is forced labor?
Anti-Slavery International defines forced labor as “any work or service which people are forced to do against their will, under threat of punishment.” The International Labor Organization defines it as, “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered him or herself voluntarily.”
Whoa. That was a lot of big words. Break it down for me.
The work or service people are forced to do tends to be in industries with many workers and sparse regulation. The key industries are agriculture and fishing, domestic work, construction, mining, prostitution, market trading, and manufacturing. Punishment may be institutionalized or it may be at a local level. The victims of forced labor do not offer themselves voluntarily but are instead recruited, coerced, or captured.
What does forced labor usually look like?
It can appear differently in each case, making awareness and education a tremendous component of eradicating this form of slavery. Imagine a large corporation sells massive amounts of crops by purchasing from an expanse of privately-owned farms and orchards. The community in which these fields are located may be enduring economic hardship, a lack of jobs, and minimal enforcement of labor laws. These challenges may lead a father to obtain work wherever he can, and the orcharding industry seems promising. However, the work conditions prove to be incredibly harsh, he is forced to work 16 hours per day (or more), he is treated abusively by his boss if he is unable to reach unreasonably high quotas, and he is not provided with the income he was promised.
The combination of a controlling boss, unfulfilled promises of sufficient income, and an inability to secure equitable working conditions and hours results in a situation of forced labor.
Is it happening near me?
Probably so. The most heavily impacted region is Asia and the Pacific, with 11.7 million victims in forced labor. Victims come from every region of the world though, and at least 1.5 million people are affected in countries with developed economies. Of the victims, 4.8 million are forced into sexual exploitation, 10 million are children, and 4.1 million are forced under government or military rules.
What can I do to help?
The most important way people like you and I can contribute to ending forced labor once and for all is cutting off the demand for products made by profit-maximizing corporations that enable and employ forced labor. Fast fashion is a huge culprit, and by choosing fair trade clothing, you can ensure that the clothes you wear were not produced using forced labor. By cutting demand, you cut a need for supply of forced labor, and slowly but surely reduce the forced labor cycle.
Further Reading:
“How does ethical fashion play into human trafficking?”
About the Authors
Miranda Cecil is a spring gal who loves traveling to new places as well as her local frozen yogurt pump. When she's not finishing homework or watering her succulents, she loves to ski, read, and play her rollout piano. Miranda is hoping to turn her passion for human rights and safety into a career as she studies political science and urban planning at the University of North Carolina (Go Heels!)
Holland Freeman is a Pacific Northwest native and pine tree enthusiast studying Religion and Conflict Management at Pepperdine University. She is keen on exploring this lovely earth by lacing up her running shoes, backpacking through the forest, and journaling on a European train heading who-knows-where. She plans to continue in her passion for advocacy and human rights through graduate studies in the field of Theology and Peace Studies.