Mauritania ratified 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention

 Mauritania on 14 March 2016 became the second African country to ratify the 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention 1930.
•    Prior to Mauritania, Niger (Africa), Norway (Europe) and the United Kingdom (Europe) ratified the protocol.
•    The protocol requires States to take effective measures for prevention of forced labour, protection of victims and ensuring their access to justice and compensation.
•    The ILO estimates that about 21 million men, women, and children are in forced labour – trafficked, held in debt bondage, or working under slave-like conditions.
•    The vast majority of these forced labourers – almost 19 million – are exploited in the private economy, by individuals or enterprises.
•    Another 2.2 million (10 percent) are in state-imposed forms of forced labour, including forced labour imposed by paramilitary forces.
•    To address the issue, governments, employers, and workers at the ILO International Labour Conference supported the adoption of the new ILO Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930.
•    Besides, a Recommendation on supplementary measures for addressing forced labour was also adopted.
•    If widely ratified and implemented by ILO member countries, the Protocol and Recommendation promise to act as a catalyst for achieving the vision of a world without forced labour.