New Zealand Working To End Forced Labor and Modern-Day Slavery

New Zealand is working to end forced labor and modern-day slavery. The government is also keen on the prospect of New Zealand becoming a party to the International Labor Organization's (ILO) Forced Labor Protocol.

Iain Lees-Galloway, Workplace Relations and Safety and Immigration Minister, said these crimes are a serious breach of human and labor rights that must be eliminated. "They encompass a wide range of exploitative practices such as people trafficking, debt bondage and passport confiscation by employers, which are a subject of growing domestic and international concern." Lees-Galloway said these crimes are witnessed in New Zealand. He acknowledged that there were three people trafficking prosecutions, relating to at least 40 victims of trafficking - for the purpose of labor exploitation.

Every government's priority is to eliminate migrant exploitation in the workplace. And New Zealand's becoming party to the Forced Labor Protocol is part of the big picture. According to experts, the Forced Labor Protocol provides guidance on how to eliminate all forms of forced labor, punish offenders and protect victims. It also updates and complements the ILO convention. Moreover, it explicitly recognizes modern forms of trafficking and forced labor.

Lees-Galloway said New Zealand's laws and practices are aligned with the Protocol. "And becoming party to it would send a clear message of the importance New Zealand places on tackling forced labor and other forms of modern slavery." He added that it will also cooperate with government initiatives, currently underway, to address the issues.