The Senate approves ILO protocol that strengthens the fight against forced labor
The ratified text updates the international convention with measures for prevention, reparation, and accountability. Brazil joins over 60 countries that have adopted the protocol
Plenário do Senado Federal durante sessão deliberativa ordinária. Ordem do dia.
Na pauta, deliberação da Medida Provisória nº 1.291, de 2025, e dos demais itens constantes da pauta publicada pela Secretaria-Geral da Mesa.
Em discurso, à tribuna, senador Cid Gomes (PSB-CE).
Mesa:
senador Izalci Lucas (PL-DF);
senador Rogerio Marinho (PL-RN);
senador Efraim Filho (União-PB);
senador Sergio Moro (União-PR);
presidente do Senado Federal, senador Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP);
líder do governo no Congresso Nacional, senador Randolfe Rodrigues (PT-AP);
secretária-geral adjunta da Mesa do Senado Federal, Sabrina Silva Nascimento.
Foto: Carlos Moura/Agência Senado
On Tuesday (1) the Federal Senate approved the ratification of the Optional Protocol to Convention No. 29 of the International Labor Organization (ILO), which aims to eliminate forced or obligatory labor. As the text had already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies, it now proceeds to promulgation.
The protocol was adopted in 2014 and has been in force since 2016. It updates the original ILO convention with guidelines focused on prevention, accountability, reparation, and the reintegration of victims. The document also incorporates gender issues and provides for specific measures to safeguard women, girls and children.
“Approval of the Optional Protocol is one more step towards Brazil reclaiming its leading role in the fight against slave labor,” said Fernanda Drummond, advisor on the Conectas Defending Socioenvironmental Rights program. She says this ratification has been called for by Brazilian civil society for a long time and it “reinforces the country’s position on the need to continue updating measures to address this barbaric crime which exists in increasingly complex supply chains.”
Read more
With this ratification, Brazil formally commits to ILO`s updated standards, joining over 60 countries that have already adopted the protocol.
What changes with the protocol?
Among the obligations laid down for the member countries are:
- Information and education campaigns aimed at employers and vulnerable populations;
- Strengthening labor inspection services;
- Protection against abusive and fraudulent recruitment practices, especially of migrant workers;
- Support for the public and private sectors in adopting preventive practices;
- Structural actions addressing the root causes of forced labor.
The protocol also demands that victims have access to reporting mechanisms, justice and compensation, and for the perpetrators of violations to be held accountable.
What is forced labor?
According to ILO, forced labor is any work or service demanded of a person under threat of punishment and which they have not volunteered for. This may occur during the selection process, during the course of their work, or when attempting to leave a job.
According to the 2021 ILO global report, 27.6 million people were working under conditions of forced labor worldwide that year. The practice perpetuates cycles of poverty, leads to extreme exploitation and violates human dignity.
Illegal profits and the sectors most affected
Besides the increase in the number of victims, ILO also highlights an increase in profits made through forced labor. Commercial sexual exploitation represents 73% of illegal profits, despite accounting for only 27% of the victims. Most people who are exploited in this sector are girls and women. It is estimated that criminal groups earn about US$ 27 thousand for each person who is sexually exploited.
Other sectors with high profits derived from forced labor are:
- Industry: US$ 35 billion annually
- Services: US$ 20.8 billion
- Agriculture: US$ 5 billion
- Domestic work: US$ 2.6 billion
The ILO recommends broadening labor inspections, bolstering efforts to combat illegal profit flows, and improving coordination between labor and criminal law. It also points to the need for a wide-ranging approach, that addresses the structural causes of the problem and prioritizes safeguarding victims.
