This report is issue no. 37 of the Economic and Social Rights series issued by the LCHR, it presents the conditions of forced labour and the worst forms of exploitation in Egypt and some countries of the world, there is a question in the report saying: “Were the laborer’s demands of only 8 hours of work achieved?” who 5 of them were executed in the Chicago massacre because of these demands, and this event became the Labour Day that is celebrated every year. The story of the Labour Day goes back to 1886, as about 350 thousand American workers have declared a public strike in the 1st of May under the motto of “8 hours of work, 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of rest”, the worker’s leaders were put to trial, 4 of them were executed in the 11th of November 1887, the others were imprisoned for a long time and one of their leaders was murdered in prison. And today, after all these years, do workers in Egypt and all over the world, enjoy this right? That is what the report is trying to show through its’ chapters.
The first chapter: “The concept of adequate work”, which is: (productive work that includes protected rights with enough income and social protection). The labour organization has made conditions to make work adequate ratified by Egypt and became a part of the national legislation, and this chapter undertakes the large amounts of international covenants and agreements that clarify the role of the governments in providing adequate working chances for their citizens, especially concerning fees, working hours, holidays and their rights in forming independent syndicates … etc. it also shows the role of the local and national organizations in guaranteeing human rights in adequate working chances.
The second chapter: “The concept of forced work”, which is: (any type of work or service done under threat or force and wasn’t done by choice or free will), this chapter condemns all forms of forced labour, socially, such as: exploitation and slavery, or politically, especially in the times of wars. Forced labour is inseparable from poverty, inequality, illiteracy, racial discrimination and political despotism. Then the chapter presents the laws and procedures made by some states and judicial bodies for this phenomenon.
The third chapter: “The forms of forced labour in the world” such as: slavery and kidnapping in Africa especially in Mauritania that became independent in 1961, but the reports state that there are hundreds of thousands of people still slaved till that time, and also Liberia that appointed a committee lately to investigate forced labour, it encouraged the people to report any forced labour situations and issued a law lately that forbid it. Then the report undertakes how to eliminate forced labour by supporting economic and social development, providing land and housing, providing adequate working chances, elimibating illiteracy and sharing the decision making process with citizens. Then it shows some forms of forced labour in Asia, like, forced participation in public works in Vietnam by imposing work upon adult men (under 45years of age) and adult women (under 35 years of age) as they work 10 days a year in social service to build roads, paving and other industrial and agricultural works.
This chapter also undertakes the forms of forced labour in agriculture, and most of it is so that farmers and agrarian workers could pay back their debts, as they have taken loans for food and clothing or to provide the basic requirements for the land, which force them to work and do anything for the land owner to pay back their debts, for instance, in a state in India, the number of labourers who work to pay back their debts has reached 125 thousand workers, and we find that children are among the effected groups who work to pay back debts, and there are other forms of the forced labour made by the state a in Dominican Republic and Haiti, forced labour was also spread in Brazil in previous times in mining, removing forests and producing coal. And there are other forms of forced labour in domestic services, as servants are prevented from leaving the house and continue to work by force. Then the report undertakes irregular cases, like the military forces in Southern East Asia and Southern America that make citizens work by force. Then the report goes to showing the aspects of forced labour in some countries, like trading human beings which is widespread in Africa, Asia and Europe, in America, studies indicate that 50 thousand women and children are being traded every year.
The fourth chapter: “Forced labour in Egypt”, this chapter refers to the right to work in the Egyptian legislation and its’ implementation in reality, and present some clauses, such as clause no. 21 of the 1923 constitution that confirm the right of Egyptians in work, and the current constitution includes 36 clauses that confirm these rights, clause no. 13 of it confirms that work is an essential right guaranteed by the state, also clauses no. 8 and no. 26 and other following laws, starting with law no. 91 for the year 1959 through regulations such as regulation no. 3309 then the labour laws nos. 47 and 48 for the year 1978 and no. 137 for the year1981 then the public law for the business sector no. 203 for the year 1991 and finally the new labour law no. 12 for the year 2003 and all of them are interested in providing the right of adequate work and establishing syndicates on democratic basis, but reality confirms that the violation of this right is continuously increasing, snd that there are forms of forced labour starting to spread. This chapter shows how Egyptian farmers face the worst types of exploitation and shows the deferent forms of forced labour in Egypt, like the por and simple farmers who are forced to do favors and jobs for whom they owe money to, and this service doesn’t end till they pay back their debts. And this chapter presents some types of tenancy in the Egyptian countryside, such as: sharecropping, quarter, half … etc, and annual tenancy, which mean that the worker is rented for one year in return of receiving food, drink, clothing, money or part of the crops that is much less than the minimum limit for the common fees.
This chapter also shows some types of child and women labour in the industrial and agrarian sectors related to this issue.
The fifth chapter: “Recommendations”, this chapter presents some recommendations that the Center sees necessary to face forced labour and the worst forms of work, like:
Supporting citizen rights in expression, safety, gathering, striking and other humane rights, and cancel the emergency law and other laws that bind freedoms in Egypt.
Make clear plans and programs to improve the conditions of the economic and social rights and guarantee health and educational care for citizens in Egypt.
Activating the role of the national organizations and all of the individual and group initiatives interested in human rights and development to provide adequate working chances and a decent life for citizens and improve the conditions of political participation.
The necessity of putting solutions for the phenomenon of irregular employment and solve the problems of marginalized groups especially women and children who need social protection the most.
The necessity of improving the systems of social security to cover most of the society groups and raise the value of pensions especially for the groups applied under the law of comprehensive insurance no. 112 for the year 1980.
The necessity of stopping child labour especially in dangerous works through mechanisms that all national and governmental sides participate in, and improve the conditions of the families of these children.
Supporting women rights especially in the unofficial sector and organize mechanisms to protect their rights in adequate working chances and a humane life.
The necessity of coordinating efforts on the national and international levels to support the rights of workers, farmers, marginalized and poor people in Egypt by exchanging expertise and coordination to stop forced labour and benefit form the international advantages in this field.
At the end, we would like to present this reports to all workers in Egypt, labour committee members, syndicates, bonds, all foundations interested in the conditions of workers rights in Egypt, the people’s council, the consultative council, the local councils and the Egyptian parties to implement the report recommendations for the protection of workers rights and support their demands in adequate working chances and a decent life.