March 2004

1. Strangers in a foreign land - Migration's hidden risk: Increased child trafficking

   01 March 2004

   In many parts of the world, migration is adding a new dimension to the child labour problem, exposing many children to potential exploitation by traffickers. This article explains how migrants can fall into the trafficking trap and how the ILO is working to stop this worst form of child labour.

2. Global Employment Trends 2004: Record joblessness, but relief may be on the way

   01 March 2004

   Despite a second-half economic recovery in 2003, global unemployment continued its relentless climb, hitting a new record of 185.9 million for men and women, rising especially sharply for young people. Meanwhile, the number of "working poor" remained at an all-time high of 550 million. A hopeless scenario? Not quite, says a new ILO report.

3. In Quebec, labour-sponsored "Solidarity Funds" are generating jobs

   01 March 2004

   The success of the Quebec Federation of Labour Solidarity Fund is founded upon twin objectives. Its main goal is profit, yet the Fund promotes workers' rights, and training and development for employees. Fernand Daoust, former president of the administrative council of the Fund and now special counsellor to the president, explains the vision of a unique organization.

4. Waiting in Correntes: Forced labour in Brazil

   01 March 2004

   In a small, dusty town in Brazil's Piaui State, the "escravos", or modern-day slaves, of Correntes are on the fault lines of forced labour. In this report, the ILO shows how they become ensnared in a trap of debt and coercion - as well as what the ILO, in collaboration with the Government of Brazil, is doing about their plight.

5. Asbestos in the workplace: a difficult legacy

   01 March 2004

   Once used nearly universally for its fire-retardant qualities, asbestos - and the illnesses it causes - has become a major issue for the industries which used and produced it as well as individuals who contracted various diseases and cancers as a result of exposure in the workplace. Journalist Andrew Bibby examines the state of asbestos litigation today, and how workers and employers are facing up to the problem.

December 2003

1. Women seafarers: Fighting against the tide? As on land, so by sea: Women join the ranks of seafarers

   01 December 2003

   Once only figureheads on the world's ocean-going ships, the entrance of women into the seafaring trade is a small, but growing phenomenon. Yet as women work their way onto the world's great ships, salt and the sea are only part of the challenges they face. As a new landmark ILO study points out, discrimination, sexual harassment and deep skepticism over their strengths and capabilities can be equally challenging.

2. Carving out a place in global markets: For Indonesia's traditional woodworking industry, globalization poses new challenges

   01 December 2003

   Globalization is altering the traditional wood furniture sector in Central Java, Indonesia, the major employer and export earner of this province. This labour- and resource-intensive industry is facing growing pressure from two sides: competitive strategies from other Asian countries such as China, Malaysia, the Phillipines and Vietnam that are cheaper and more responsive to global buyers' needs for quality, delivery and close customer relations, and an unsustainable rate of logging in the Indonesian teak plantations that, if left unchecked, will undermine this industry's supply of teak and mahogany in the next five years. The result? Jepara's wood working industry is now at a crossroads.

3. Union "dot orgs" come of age

   01 December 2003

   "Am I being paid what I should be, for the work I'm doing?" is a question many people ask but often find difficult to answer. Now, Internet sites dedicated to workplace issues can resolve this and other queries. Writer Andrew Bibby examines how workers and employers are navigating the information highway on bread and butter issues.

4. A universal challenge: Social security for the world

   01 December 2003

   Only one in five people worldwide enjoys adequate social security coverage. Faced with this stark reality, the ILO has initiated a new global campaign to encourage and assist member States to extend social security to all of their citizens. The Global Campaign on Social Security and Coverage for All, reflects a global consensus among governments, employers and workers to take up this challenge. In this report, World of Work outlines this new campaign.

5. "We created jobs...": The forest peoples of Mayurbhanj

   01 December 2003

   In two and a half years, an innovative ILO project has helped create well over 2,000 jobs, and pull more than 200 indebted families out of a debt trap. This three-year ILO INDISCO project aims at creating decent employment for tribal peoples in the remote forests of Mayurbhanj in Orissa, India, and is well on its way to becoming a replicable model.