Nairobi hosts global forum seeking stronger action against modern slavery

The two-day 2026 Freedom from Slavery Global Forum, convened by Free the Slaves under the theme “Freedom in a Changing World: Strengthening Protection, Accountability and Transforming the Systems Behind Modern Slavery,” opened on Monday with a focus on turning discussions into practical commitments and action.

The forum comes amid concerns over the scale of modern slavery globally, with an estimated 50 million people living in conditions of modern slavery on any given day in 2021, according to the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery published by the International Labour Organization, Walk Free and the International Organization for Migration.

In Kenya, the Global Slavery Index 2023 estimates that 269,000 people were living in modern slavery, equivalent to five people in every 1,000. The National Council on Children’s Services has separately estimated that about 17,500 Kenyans are trafficked annually, with children accounting for about half of those affected.

Participants are examining the economic, political, cultural and social conditions that enable exploitation, as well as gaps in accountability and opaque supply chains that allow modern slavery to persist.

Assistant Labour Commissioner in the Child Labour Division at the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Artlibert Makori, said Kenya was strengthening its response through labour inspection, social protection, responsible business conduct and improved access to justice.

“As an Alliance 8.7 Pathfinder Country, Kenya remains committed to accelerating action towards eliminating forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labour through stronger labour inspection, social protection, responsible business conduct, access to justice and meaningful engagement of survivors and communities,” Makori said.

He said emerging risks were increasingly being shaped by poverty, conflict, climate change, irregular migration, unethical recruitment and the misuse of technology, requiring coordinated responses at national, regional and international levels.

Makori said Kenya was also strengthening Bilateral Labour Agreements and cooperation with destination countries to establish clearer recruitment procedures, protect wages and contracts, improve access to grievance mechanisms and strengthen safeguards against trafficking and forced labour.

“Ethical recruitment and accountability must remain at the heart of the labour migration journey,” he said.

Kenya's designation in 2024 as an Alliance 8.7 Pathfinder Country has positioned it as one of the countries seeking to accelerate action against forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labour.

The Nairobi forum is also providing a platform for African experiences to influence the global response, while promoting greater cooperation on prevention, protection and accountability.

Free the Slaves Executive Director Bukeni Waruzi said the forum had brought together stakeholders from across Africa and the world to identify approaches for strengthening the response to modern slavery.

“The 2026 global forum convened key stakeholders from across Africa and the world. Collectively, we have identified promising approaches, strengthened frameworks for collaboration, and developed an agenda toward more effective action against modern slavery,” Waruzi said.

He said the adoption of the Declaration of Principles for Aligned Action against Modern Slavery marked a commitment by the movement to strengthen systemic responses while ensuring that people with lived experience provide leadership.

Survivor leadership is a central theme of the forum, with people who have experienced modern slavery participating in discussions on protection, recovery, livelihoods, dignity and policy responses.

Shamere McKenzie, CEO of Sun Gate Foundation and a survivor leader, said the forum demonstrated the importance of ensuring survivors have a meaningful role in decisions affecting the movement.

“As a survivor leader, I know what it feels like to have decisions made about your life without your voice ever being part of the conversation, which is why this Forum mattered so deeply,” McKenzie said.

She said the meeting had strengthened commitments to share power with survivors and created opportunities for survivor leaders to influence policies and solutions.

The forum is also examining responsible business and supply-chain regulation, ethical recruitment, forced marriage, child domestic work, refugee trafficking risks and technology-facilitated trafficking.

Discussions on the second day will focus on developing a roadmap for system transformation, with participants expected to consider practical actions that can be implemented across sectors beyond the Nairobi meeting.

Organisers say the ultimate goal is to build a more coordinated global response that places lived experience at the centre, strengthens accountability and addresses the underlying systems that allow modern slavery and exploitation to continue.