More than 40.3 million people are still in modern slavery, including 24.9 million in forced labour. It means 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world. 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children.

That social injustice is at the heart of Wagner Moura’s commitment and activism to put an end to forced labour and child labour. The award-winning actor and ILO Goodwill Ambassador (50 for Freedom campaign) grew up in a very poor area in the northeast of Brazil. He saw first-hand the negative impacts of forced labour on a family, a community, a country.

“I think that education is the foundation for any sort of social change in the world,” Wagner Moura said.

Today he continues to put his time and energy to urge governments to enact and enforce legislation, protect their population, and end slavery in our lifetime.

Where does his passion for fighting slavery come from? Find out in this episode of ILO's The Future of Work Podcast.

Despite significant progress in much of Asia and the Pacific social protection policies still lag behind other areas of the world, according to a new ILO report.

The Russian aggression against Ukraine has paralyzed the economy with nearly half of businesses forced to close and others struggling to keep afloat. With ILO support, the Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FEU) is helping them stay open and supporting local producers. More than 3,550 food boxes were distributed directly to people across the two regions. “We need to reduce further economic loss and ensure business continuity. Helping our fellow Ukrainians is a good way to support our local producers", said Ruslan Illichov, FEU Director General.

After successfully reclaiming her people’s territory in Quebrada de Humahuaca, Northern Argentina, Celestina Ábalos turned to tourism to share and promote her indigenous culture. ILO entrepreneurship training during the COVID-19 pandemic helped her business to grow. See the full story on ILO Voices.

All time top-ranking DJ sisters Liv and Mim Nervo have written a new track to raise awareness of child vulnerability, child labour and trafficking. Here they explain their motivation and the origins of the song.

Women in the health and care sector face a larger gender pay gap than in other economic sectors, earning on average of 24 percent less than peers who are men, according to a new joint report by the ILO and WHO.

In Burkina Faso, Latifatou dreamt of becoming a seamstress to escape poverty and child labour. Thanks to support from the CLEAR Cotton project, her dream is about to come true.

Champa is 46 and has worked as a migrant domestic worker in Thailand for the past 30 years. She represents a network of domestic workers from Myanmar and advocates for their rights.

In cotton-growing communities of Pakistan, many children were working in the fields because they were deprived of accessible schools. Therefore, the CLEAR Cotton project partnered with the local government and civil society to set up education centres at their doorsteps. The CLEAR Cotton project is co-funded and implemented by the ILO and partners.

"Children belong in school, not at work. When I was working I didn't like it because it made me tired. And even though school is sometimes a bit difficult, I will learn and one day I will earn a living from it."

An estimated 4.8 million jobs have been lost in Ukraine since the start of the Russian aggression, according to ILO. If hostilities escalate employment losses would increase to seven million.

ILO launched a new guide on the inclusion of persons with disabilities for employers in Asia and the Pacific. Using real-life examples, the guide cites how inclusive policies can boost profitability.

The ILO hosts the Global Forum for a Human-centred Recovery from 22-24 February. It brings together heads of State and Government, heads of international organizations and multilateral development banks, and employers’ and workers’ leaders from around the world to propose concrete actions and strengthen the international community’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. The Forum will examine in particular the actions and investments needed to meet the ambition of the ILO Global Call to Action  and the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection.

ILO brings us the story of Sai Sai, a migrant construction worker in Chiang Mai, a city in Northern Thailand. After government legislation made it illegal for migrant workers to do skilled construction work, Sai Sai along with other migrant workers and local organizations worked together to get the law amended.

WHO and ILO have called for measures to be put in place to protect workers’ health while teleworking. A new technical brief to healthy and safe teleworking, published by the two UN agencies, outlines the health benefits and risks of teleworking and the changes needed to accommodate the shift towards different forms of remote work arrangements brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the digital transformation of work. Teleworking can improve the physical and mental health and social wellbeing of workers, while leading to higher productivity and lower operational costs for many companies.