Forced labor is a widespread and persistent issue across the globe and within multiple sectors. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), an estimated 27.6 million people are subjected to forced labor on any given day—equivalent to 3.5 people for every 1,000 worldwide. Women and girls comprise 11.8 million of those affected, and over 3.3 million victims are children (ILO, 2022).
In sub-Saharan Africa, the ILO estimates that approximately 660,000 individuals are trapped in forced labor (ILO, 2025). These individuals are exploited in key sectors including mining, agriculture, tourism, and fishing.
Global supply chains, particularly in agriculture, are especially vulnerable to forced labor. In Africa, poverty, limited access to decent work, and structural inequality drive hundreds of thousands of people into conditions of coercion and abuse. The risk of forced labor remains especially high in agricultural supply chains, which are central to many African economies.
The financial scale of this exploitation is staggering forced labor generates an estimated $236 billion annually in illegal profits, a sharp rise from $64 billion in 2014 (ILO, 2024).
The gravity of this issue is underscored in the Preamble to the 2014 Protocol to Convention No. 29 on Forced Labor by the ILO, which states:
“Forced labor constitutes a serious violation of human dignity and fundamental human rights, contributes to the perpetuation of poverty, and stands in the way of the achievement of decent work for all.
Recognizing this, the European Commission has enacted Regulation 2024/3015 to prohibit the import of goods made with forced labor into the EU market. This regulation compels companies—including those operating in African agricultural supply chains, such as cocoa—to comply with due diligence requirements.
Cocoa farm in Salakounou, Mbam-Et-Kim region, central Cameroon
Cameroon is one of the top five cocoa producers in Africa. However, credible data on forced labor in Cameroon’s cocoa sector remains limited. Despite this data gap, the Government of Cameroon has publicly committed to tackling forced labor in key economic sectors. As a “Pathfinder Country” under Alliance 8.7, Cameroon has pledged to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 8.7, which calls for the eradication of forced labor, modern slavery, human trafficking, and child labor.
Cameroon’s national roadmap outlines strategic interventions to eliminate forced labor. These include:
- Generating reliable and disaggregated data
- Building the capacity of relevant actors
- Raising public awareness and education
- Providing support and services for survivors
Empowering Local Communities to Address and Prevent Forced Labor
The Pilot Project
Since October 2024, Free the Slaves has partnered with a European company to launch a pilot project aimed at addressing, remediating, and preventing indicators of forced labor in cocoa production in central Cameroon. This region is a major cocoa-producing area, and the project is being implemented in four local communities.
Cocoa farm visit in Nguila, Mbam-Et-Kim region, central Cameroon
The long-term goal is to ensure that cocoa from these communities is produced free from forced labor.
At the heart of the project is the establishment of Community Vigilance Committees (CVCs)—local groups made up of trusted community members who are trained and equipped to monitor, report, address, and prevent forced labor in their communities. CVC members represent a cross-section of local stakeholders, including teachers, cocoa cooperatives, farmers, local business owners, and youth leaders.
FTS team with Mr. Biloa, village chief of Salakounou, and CVC member
FTS team with Mr. Biloa, village chief of Salakounou, and CVC member
Members of CVCs in Nguila
One of the key drivers of this methodology’s success is the strong, trust-based relationship between local communities, the national government, European businesses, and Free the Slaves. Drawing on its past experience, FTS plays a vital role in building and sustaining this collaboration—ensuring all stakeholders work together with a shared commitment to ending forced labor.
Deputy maire of Ntui and the central government officials from the ministries of Commerce and Labor with FTS team and CVC members
Currently, there are 50 CVC members across the four pilot communities:
- 7 teachers
- 19 local businesspeople
- 10 youth representatives
- 14 members of farmer cooperatives
The CVC model is designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of forced labor prevention by building community leadership and ownership. Through their work, the CVCs will facilitate ongoing monitoring and reporting, support for survivor remediation, and proactive awareness-raising efforts.
The pilot project will unfold in distinct phases:
- Establishing the CVCs and building their capacity
- Community-based monitoring and reporting
- Remediation of identified cases
- Prevention and public awareness campaigns
FTS Community mobilizer and a CVC member
Data Collection
All verified data collected through the pilot will be shared with the Government of Cameroon and project partners. Transparency and accountability are central to this initiative, and the project is committed to providing accurate information on both the risks identified and the actions taken to remediate confirmed cases of forced labor.
In the absence of reliable national data on forced labor in Cameroon’s cocoa-producing communities, this pilot offers a promising model for generating credible, community-led evidence on forced labor risks, incidents, and responses.
Timeline
The pilot is scheduled to run for 18 months. An independent evaluation will be conducted at the conclusion of the project to assess its impact and inform potential scaling efforts.
The first half of the project focuses on establishing the CVCs, building their capacity, and piloting initial data collection efforts. The second half will prioritize the development of remediation mechanisms and the rollout of community-wide awareness-raising campaigns.
Mr. Biloa in his farm in Salakounou
