This groundbreaking report is the most comprehensive account of contemporary forced labor to date. It provides the first global and regional estimates by an international organization of forced labor in the world today. The report includes the number of people affected and how many of them are victims of trafficking, as well as profits made by criminals who exploit the trafficked workers. The book sheds new light on three major categories of forced labor: labor imposed by the state for economic, political or other purposes, labor linked to poverty and discrimination, and labor that rises from migration and trafficking of workers across the world, often associated with globalization. A Global Alliance Against Forced Labor provides clear evidence that the abolition of this practice represents a challenge for every country in the world. The book assesses experience at the national level, with particular emphasis on the importance of sound laws and policies and their rigorous enforcement, as well as effective prevention strategies. It also reviews the actions taken over the past four years by the ILO and its partners--governments, employers, and workers--and calls for a new global alliance to relegate forced labor to history.