Columbia University students investigate root causes of forced labour

Geneva (ILO News) - Students from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) concluded a study visit to the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva on 20 March 2026, aimed at strengthening evidence on the determinants of forced labour and building practical research capacity for the next generation of analysts and policymakers. The visit formed part of an ILO-SIPA Capstone collaboration under the Evidence and Data to End Forced Labour (EnD-FL) project, hosted at the ILO's Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FUNDAMENTALS) Branch.

Across five days of technical sessions and discussions, students and ILO specialists reviewed preliminary research results, validated analytical choices and explored how crises, from conflict and natural disasters to public health emergencies, can heighten vulnerability, disrupt labour markets and weaken governance, creating conditions in which forced labour is more likely to occur. The programme also introduced students to the ILO's wider work on forced labour, spanning standards, policy advice, data production and operational responses.

This collaboration helped strengthen the knowledge base on what drives forced labour in different contexts, and it also equipped students with the analytical tools needed to work responsibly with forced labour data and translate evidence into action. Understanding the role of crises is essential, because shocks can rapidly intensify risks and expose gaps in protection.
Francesca Francavilla, Senior Economist, ILO FUNDAMENTALS

The agenda combined thematic briefings with dedicated research time, including sessions on international labour standards related to forced labour, human trafficking links, and the measurement of forced labour among adults and children. ILO experts and teams also exchanged with students on key vulnerability pathways and policy options, including informality, unfair recruitment of migrant workers, forced labour in supply chains, and the relationship between labour rights, such as freedom of association and collective bargaining, and forced labour risks. A focused set of discussions also drew on country experience, including sessions on forced labour and data in Nigeria.

Students presented preliminary findings and "counting rules" underpinning their analysis for technical review, then used feedback to refine frameworks, assumptions and next steps ahead of the capstone deliverables.

Working with ILO experts in Geneva, we came to see that forced labour is far more complex than a clearly defined issue. Beyond coercion and involuntariness, it intersects with other human rights challenges such as trafficking in persons and migration. What I found most valuable is learning how the ILO approaches this complexity through systematic frameworks and multidisciplinary perspectives.
Jiawen Li, student, Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).

By bringing academic research practice into direct dialogue with ILO technical expertise, the collaboration aimed to help generate policy-relevant evidence on the structural, economic and social factors that influence forced labour, while encouraging sustained engagement by emerging professionals on one of the most severe violations of rights at work.

The collaboration reflects a broader ILO commitment to knowledge-sharing and capacity-building in the fight against forced labour. By embedding students within its research and operational work, the ILO aims to help develop the next generation of researchers and practitioners equipped to bridge the gap between evidence and action, generating the knowledge needed to ensure that forced labour is not just measured, but ended.