A decade after the SDG 8.7 pledge: what has actually worked against forced labour

A comprehensive assessment of the interventions deployed since the world pledged to eradicate forced labour finds clear winners, clear failures and a financing gap.

Ten years of evaluation data point to a consistent hierarchy: worker-driven social responsibility programmes, binding brand agreements and import enforcement show measurable impact, while unaccompanied audits and awareness campaigns show little.

The assessment estimates the global anti-slavery effort remains funded at less than a tenth of what credible eradication would require, and urges governments to treat supply chain enforcement as revenue-positive regulation.