Forced labour is a human rights violation that takes many forms. There are various ways in which pressure can be exerted on a worker, which leaves them with no choice but to continue working in dehumanising situations or in which they receive little or no pay. Such pressure can be through threats of violence, cessation of wages or seizure of identity documents. The fact that workers often have to depend on the employer for housing also makes it problematic to stop working. The problem of forced labour is particularly acute for migrant workers because they are in vulnerable positions due to housing dependency, language problems, and in many cases, debts. During recruitment, workers have often already received an advance payment, creating a debt that must be paid off through work. In other cases, the employer ‘reserves’ part of the salary and pays it after a certain period. This leaves the worker trapped with the employer for a considerable time.   

Arisa frequently encounters forced labour in South Asian supply chains. It is often impossible to tell at first glance if a situation involves forced labour. The first challenge is to acknowledge the situation as forced labour. To address this issue, Arisa advocates decent working conditions (‘decent work’) and the payment of a living wage.