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The Committee notes that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

Article 25 of the Convention. Penal sanctions for the illegal exaction of forced or compulsory labour. 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 requested 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 Government’s repeated statement that the issue was to be examined by the tripartite National Advisory Committee on Labour.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report that the National Advisory Committee on Labour has decided to review the Labour Code, and that the process of revision will start in November 2005, with the technical assistance of the ILO. The Government states that the Committee’s concerns will be taken into account in the course of the revision.

The Committee notes these indications and trusts that the necessary measures will soon be taken by the Government in order to bring the national legislation into compliance with the Convention on this point. It requests the Government to provide, in its next report, information on the progress made in this regard.