The International Labour Organization and the Struggle against Forced Labour from 1919 to the Present

2007/10/15 by Daniel Maul · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #International Labor and Employment Law #Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics #Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy

paper · doi:10.1080/00236560701580275

openalex publication_date 2007/10/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

Since its foundation in 1919 the International Labour Organization (ILO) has regarded the worldwide eradication of forced labour as one of its basic aims. This article looks at the ILO's role both as a forum for public discourse on the historically shifting boundaries that separated free labour from coercion, and as an independent actor in the struggle against forced labour throughout the twentieth century. Examining the ILO's efforts in three distinct phases (the inter-war period, the Cold War years and the age of decolonization/postcolonial nation-building) will also shed light and contribute to the discussion on the influence of international organizations in the making of the modern world.

Cited by

• International Labour Organization [wikipedia]

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