On Anti-Slavery Day 2025, observed annually on 18 October across Europe, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) calls on governments, businesses and the legal community worldwide to strengthen their efforts to eradicate all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking.

Despite the international legal framework prohibiting slavery in all its forms, an estimated 50 million people globally remain trapped in conditions of modern slavery – including forced labour, debt bondage and human trafficking. These violations persist across sectors and supply chains, often hidden within complex global trade networks.

Mark Stephens CBE, IBAHRI Co-Chair, stated: ‘Ending modern slavery requires more than words. It demands political courage, corporate accountability and the unwavering enforcement of human rights standards. Lawyers have a unique responsibility to expose abuses, defend the vulnerable and uphold the rule of law wherever it is under threat. Every act of advocacy brings us closer to ending this profound injustice.’

Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC, IBAHRI Director, commented: ‘Modern slavery is not a relic of the past. It is a global human rights crisis that continues to destroy lives and erode human dignity. Lawyers, judges and legal institutions have a vital role to play in upholding accountability, promoting access to justice for victims, and ensuring that states and corporations meet their obligations under international law.’

The IBAHRI emphasises that effective anti-slavery measures must include:

• stronger enforcement of labour and human rights laws;
• access to justice and remedies for victims;
• corporate due diligence to prevent exploitation in global supply chains; and
• greater international cooperation to prosecute traffickers and dismantle criminal networks.

ENDS

Contact: IBAHRI@int-bar.org

Notes to the reader:

1. The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), established in 1995 under Founding Honorary President Nelson Mandela, is an autonomous entity working to promote, protect and enforce human rights under a just rule of law, and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide.
2. Find the IBAHRI on social media here:
   • x.com/IBAHRI
   • www.facebook.com/IBAhumanrights
   • https://bsky.app/profile/ibahri.bsky.social
   • www.linkedin.com/in/iba-human-rights-institute/
3. The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, with the aim of protecting and promoting the rule of law globally, the IBA was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.

Website page link for this news release:
Short link: https://tinyurl.com/52p9fcr5
Full link: https://www.ibanet.org/IBAHRI-marks-Anti-Slavery-Day-with-renewed-call-for-global-action-to-end-modern-slavery-and-forced-labour