The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) decent work agenda aims to ensure dignity, equality, fair income and safe working conditions, with specific mention of these conditions for migrant workers. Despite this, the number of labour abuses continues to rise across the world. The ILO states that there are almost 21 million people, many of whom are migrant workers, who are victims of forced labour, with 68% of these cases occurring within supply chains of private sector industries. These situations are able to exist due to poor regulation and enforcement of labour standards across the labour market. Labour inspections are one of the primary tools used to ensure that standards are maintained. In many cases, authorities who come across potential victims of trafficking or forced labour cannot communicate with them due to language barriers. This study proposes the use of simple mobile technology to allow authorities to help identify potential victims. It investigates the use of culturally relevant information and technologies, to allow workers to self identify as a victim, and seek help from relevant authorities.
There are several outputs that
• Co-designed, developed and evaluated software solution aimed to allow authorities to identify victims of forced labour
• Disaggregated data on patterns of forced labour, contributing towards monitoring of SDG 8 targets; and Article 40 of New York Declaration
• Impact assessment on the use of technology to support the identification of victims of forced labour
• Policy recommendations on the incorporation of technology into the support of Articles 35 and 40 of the New York Declaration
Hannah Thinyane – hannah@unu.edu