Goal:
To secure a legally binding update to an important international forced labor law from 1930.
Summary:
The Forced Labor Convention, (full title: ILO Convention Concerning Forced or Compulsory Labor, 1930 (No.29)) was drafted in 1930 and so hideously outdated. In 2014, the International Labor Organization held a discussion and vote to decide whether an update to this law should be in the form of a recommendation to accompany the Convention or a legally-binding Protocol, which would have greater effect in tackling modern slavery and forced labor.
Advocates in 185 countries sent 65,000 letters to their respective labor ministers to call for a Protocol.
Outcome:
This campaign helped influence 184 governments to vote for the Protocol. Once the vote had passed and the Forced Labor Protocol was adopted, we launched the second phase of the campaign—for individual countries to ratify the Protocol. On May 14, 2015, Niger became the first state to ratify the 2014 Protocol, followed by Argentina. The Protocol entered into force on November 9, 2016. Our campaign for ratification continues.
Note: A total of 184 countries voted for the Protocol.
