2 December 2018: The UN University (UNU) marked the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery with the launch of online resources documenting and providing graphic visualizations of trends in modern slavery and child labor. These “data dashboards” can be accessed through UNU’s Delta 8.7 project portal, which provides access to information on human rights abuses in the areas of forced labor and human trafficking.

Delta 8.7 was developed to support efforts toward SDG target 8.7 on ending forced labor, modern slavery and human trafficking, and prohibiting the worst forms of child labor, including the recruitment and use of child solders.

The UNU site provides a range of resources for learning more about the issues, information about government efforts, and an online forum for discussion of recent research findings. It contains thematic overviews of various aspects of modern slavery, including the impacts of conflict and humanitarian crises, the relationship between migration and modern slavery, and what resources and policies are available to assist victims.

Delta 8.7 is a project of the New York-based UNU Centre for Policy Research. Centre Director James Cockayne stated that the dashboards bring together information on these different areas of concern for the first time, and will support policy makers in understanding what measures are effective. The UK, US, and International Labour Organization (ILO) are supporting the Delta 8.7 project.

The project contributes to the work of Alliance 8.7, a global partnership of governments and other stakeholders for eradicating forced labor, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labor around the world. Australia currently chairs the partnership, and the ILO serves as its secretariat.

In September 2017, governments launched a ‘Call to Action’ at the UN General Assembly. The Call outlines actions that countries can take on SDG target 8.7, including ratifying and implementing the relevant international agreements, strengthen law enforcement, “putting victims first” and working with business to eliminate such practices from global supply chains.

SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) is one of the Goals that will be reviewed in depth during the July 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). [UNU Press Release] [Delta 8.7 Website] [Delta 8.7 Webpage on the Call to Action] [Alliance 8.7 Website]