According to the Forced Labour Convention of 1930, forced labour is “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily.” Forced labour begins with vulnerable factors: language barriers, poverty, the need for basic necessities, or being part of a minority religious or ethnic group.

 

Imported forced labor begins with deception, followed by isolation.  People are misled about working conditions, wages, and living conditions, then transported to an unknown location with no connection to the outside world.  

 

It is estimated that 28 million people are in modern slavery or forced labor–3.3 million of which are children. $236 billion US dollars in profit is made worldwide every year from forced labor, and for many workers, this money is taken out of their pockets. It is money that would be spent to improve the lives of both the workers and families.

Delegates should discuss topics of prevention and equality, in attempts to regulate discrimination and abuse of workers, as well as the exploitation of industries for cheap labor. There will be discussion of defending nations that experience corruption, decreasing individual’s vulnerability to deception, and ending trafficking.