New Push Against Forced Labour Puts Filipino Workers First

Forced labour risks affect several Philippine industries connected to international trade, including agriculture, manufacturing and mining, where identifying abuse remains a major challenge.

Workers facing exploitation in the Philippines are at the centre of a new four-year partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Canada, designed to strengthen protection against forced labour and improve access to justice. The project responds to conditions that can leave people vulnerable, including informal employment, gaps in labour protection and financial pressures that narrow their choices. Its success will depend on translating policies into practical support for people whose exploitation often remains hidden from public view.

Bringing Hidden Exploitation Into View

Forced labour risks affect several Philippine industries connected to international trade, including agriculture, manufacturing and mining, where identifying abuse remains a major challenge. The hidden nature of the practice makes it difficult to establish its true scale or reach workers who need protection, leaving authorities and their partners with the task of improving how cases are recognized and addressed. Businesses face growing pressure to understand conditions across their supply chains and ensure that the products they sell are made without forced labour.

"Forced labour has no place in our societies. Eliminating this practice is fundamental to achieving decent work, social justice, and human dignity," said Khalid Hassan, Director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines. That commitment underpins the new project, known as PRIME PH, which will run until February 2030 with support from the Labour Program of Employment and Social Development Canada. Manufacturing and agriculture are among its targeted sectors, including industries that export products to Canada.

Making Protection Reach the People Who Need It

PRIME PH will bring together the Philippine Government, workers' and employers' organizations and other partners to strengthen institutions, improve policies and develop measures to prevent and address forced labour. Access to justice and remedies forms a central part of the project, recognizing that identifying exploitation is only one part of protecting workers. People affected by forced labour also need institutions capable of responding to their circumstances and helping them secure meaningful redress.

The Philippines has laws and policy frameworks addressing exploitation, including national programmes against trafficking in persons and child labour, but the release identifies continuing difficulties in detecting cases, protecting victims and enforcing protections effectively. The project will address these gaps through stronger cooperation among government, employers, workers, civil society and other partners. For those at risk, the practical test will be whether these efforts make protection easier to reach and improve the response when abuse is uncovered.

Putting Workers' Rights at the Heart of Trade

Canada's support connects worker protection with a trading relationship that includes Philippine agricultural and manufactured goods, placing working conditions within the wider discussion about economic cooperation. Canadian officials described the initiative as part of a shared commitment to international labour standards and responsible business practices. For companies involved in these sectors, preventing forced labour means paying closer attention to how goods are produced and making respect for workers' rights part of everyday business decisions.

Both countries have ratified the ILO's Forced Labour Convention and Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, providing a shared foundation for the partnership. Nearly 100 representatives from government, workers' and employers' organizations, civil society, development partners, academia and business attended the launch, reflecting the range of groups needed to support its work. Hassan described the partnership as an investment in stronger institutions, dialogue and collective action, with a clear purpose: ensuring that people can earn a living in freedom and dignity.