Two centuries after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that at least 21 million people – of whom 3.7 million are from Africa – continue to work under coercion, largely in the informal and illegal economies.

It is estimated that the total profits obtained from the use of forced labour in the underground economy worldwide amount to $150 billion – of which $13.1in Africa – per year.

"Can we afford to keep quiet in the face of human trafficking”? That is the remark made a few months ago by President Paul Kagame, and later reiterated last week during his citizen outreach programme in the Eastern Province, before tasking top government officials to swiftly initiate measures to end a seemingly growing trend of trafficking in young Rwandan girls.

A human-rights moment

In June 2014, the annual conference of the ILO adopted a new legally binding Protocol to tackle modern forms of forced labour, including those involving human trafficking.

The Prime Minister, Anastase Murekezi, then Minister for Public Service and Labour, led the Rwandan delegation to that session.

The new Protocol was overwhelmingly adopted by government, employer and worker delegates. It brings the existing ILO Convention No. 29 on Forced Labour, adopted in 1930, into the modern era to strengthen protection against forced labour, particularly as found in the private economy.

In the words of Beate Andrees, Head of the ILO Special Action Programme to combat Forced Labour; "This is a truly historic moment, because delegates in this room have now modernised effectively Convention 29, which was adopted 84 years ago. And there is a new Protocol, supplementing the convention. We will have much stronger measures now to protect the victims, to prevent forced labour, and to also give victims the possibility to access remedies.”

In Africa, forced labour and human trafficking thrive in environments of poverty and unemployment, because the wish to escape desperate economic and social situations feeds the supply side of these exploitative and abusive practices.

Additionally, traditional cultural practices such as child fostering and the fluidity of familial ties and trust have also provided a conduit for criminals to deceive and exploit the unsuspecting into forced labour and exploitation.

According to the 2014 US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report, Rwanda is, like many other African countries, source and, to a lesser extent, transit and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking.

Victims are recruited and transported abroad, including to Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malaysia, China, the United States, and Europe where they are subjected to forced agricultural and industrial labour, domestic servitude, prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation.

Ratification of the new Protocol is an important political and symbolic act to demonstrate commitment to fundamental human rights and to take effective action against forced labour.

Research and knowledge sharing

Quantitative and qualitative research should be conducted to understand the prevalence, magnitude and conditions of forced labour and human trafficking in Rwanda and a module on forced labour and human trafficking should be included into the National Labour Survey.

Moreover, university students should be encouraged to research and write their academic dissertations on the issue of forced labour and human trafficking, so as to have a critical mass of people who understand and champion the fight against that scourge.

The gathered knowledge should be made accessible to policy makers and wider public through an effective communication and dissemination strategy.

Media also should play an important role in conducting their own investigations on the issue but also in disseminating those produced by the research community.

Strengthening institutions, laws and policies

There is a need for strong and transparent institutions within government and civil society, in order to prevent human trafficking, to protect its victims, to provide access to remedies and to prosecute perpetrators.

One of those institutions could be a National Task Force (NTF) and/or National Steering Committee (NSC) to help put in place comprehensive laws and policies and to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the National Plans of Action.

Partnerships and coordination

As human trafficking is often an international crime, there is a need for collaborative effort with other countries to halt it. Hence, there is necessity to strengthen sub-regional and regional collaboration on investigations, and to share best practices among regions.

The new Protocol and Recommendation have put ILO constituents at the forefront of global efforts to eradicate forced labour, human trafficking and slavery-like practices.

It is expected that the crucial role of workers’ and employers’ organisations in this fight will be enhanced and become more visible in the follow-up process.

The writer is the Focal Point for Africa, Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour, International Labour Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.