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Article 25 of the Convention. In its earlier comments the Committee noted the penal sanctions provided in section 7(1) of the Labour Code Order, 1992, for any person who exacts or imposes forced labour for the benefit of any private individual, association or body and in section 7(2) for any chief or public officer who puts constraint upon the population or any member thereof to work for any private individual, company, association or other such body. The Committee asked the Government to take measures in order to provide similar sanctions for any imposition of forced labour as defined in section 3 of the Order, also if imposed for the benefit of a public entity. It noted the indication in the Government’s report of 1998 that the issue was to be examined by the tripartite National Advisory Committee on Labour.

The Government indicates in its latest report that the issue of sanctions for imposition of forced labour has not yet been examined by the National Advisory Committee and promises to table the issue at the Committee’s future meetings.

The Committee trusts that appropriate measures will be taken by the Government in the near future in order to bring the national legislation into conformity with the Convention on this point and requests the Government to provide, in its next report, information on the progress made in this regard.