A Global Alliance Against Forced Labor, International Labor Organization, May 11, 2005 [finding that some 12.3 million people worldwide are enslaved]. Excerpt:

Forced labour must be punishable as a crime. This is, in fact, almost universally the case today. The vast majority of ILO member States have ratified one or other of its two forced labour Conventions, and usually both. There tend to be outright prohibitions of forced labour, along with slavery and slaverylike practices, in national constitutions, in criminal codes, and sometimes also in labour codes. Penalties may be established by law for exacting forced labour (although these can be very small). Yet two problems seem to be quite widespread throughout the world. First, with very few exceptions, forced labour is not defined in any detail, making it diffi cult for law enforcement agents to identify and prosecute the offence. Second, and in consequence of this, there have been very few prosecutions for forced labour offences anywhere in the world. A vicious cycle is thereby established: no clear legislation, little or no resources for prosecutions, limited awareness or publicity, thus no pressure for clear legislation, and so on.

Read the full text of the report [PDF]. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.