The International Labour Organization (ILO), with the support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have launched a project in Niger to empower victims of forced labour through skills development.

Building on existing ILO projects in the country, and with close collaboration with the implementing partner, Timidria, 420 women victims of modern slavery were identified and selected to be part of the project and receive personalized training to enhance their employability and seize the employment opportunities. The objective is to support the empowerment and socio-economic reintegration of women victimized by slavery practices in six regions: Agadez, Dosso, Maradi, Tahoua, Tillaberi and Zinder.

Interventions include guidance and counselling, development of learning materials tailored to their specific needs, classes on literacy and numeracy, post-training support for access to self-employment, and rural cooperatives creation to provide economic support to the beneficiaries. Furthermore, the project is providing legal assistance to the victims.

The aim of the project is to contribute to the government efforts to eliminate traditional and contemporary forms of forced labour systems, which are often linked to human trafficking.

Niger was the first country to ratify the Protocol to the ILO Forced Labour Convention, which strengthens the global fight against modern slavery.