Modern slavery has grown in the world in recent years, spurred by crises such as the pandemic, armed conflicts and climate change, and reached 50 million people in 2021, the UN said on Monday (12). Women, girls and immigrants are the groups most affected.
More than half of this total (28 million) are people forced to work against their will, and the rest (22 million) are those forced into marriage, according to a report published by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Labor Organization. International for Migration (IOM) together with the NGO Walk Free Foundation.
Both cases fit the ILO definition of modern slavery as they involve people who “cannot refuse or cannot leave due to threats, violence, deception, abuse of power or other forms of coercion”.
The pandemic, which has caused a deterioration of working conditions and an increase in the indebtedness of workers, has reinforced the machine of modern slavery, and almost one in 150 people in the world is a victim of some kind of exploitation.
Estimates are based in part on household surveys, with the latest available statistic from 2016. In those five years, the number of victims has increased by more than 9 million, contrary to the UN goal of eradicating slavery by 2030.
According to the report, more than half of forced labor in recent years has taken place in upper-middle- and upper-middle-income countries, with migrants at least three times more likely to be recruited for this type of exploitation.
Most cases of forced labor –86%– took place in the private sector, in industries and in the areas of construction, agriculture and domestic work. It is estimated that millions of people, mainly women and girls, are also trapped in sexual exploitation.
Also according to the report, the main form of coercion used by employers is the deliberate withholding of wages and the threat of dismissal.
“I think in general we just relax our efforts. We take our eyes off the ball when it comes to forced labour,” ILO Director-General Guy Ryder told Reuters, calling for improvements in recruitment practices and labor inspections.
He said trade measures, such as a ban on imports of products made with forced labor, currently under consideration by the European Union, could also help.
According to the report, Qatar – accused of violating the labor rights of migrants working in preparation for the football World Cup in November – has made “significant progress” since signing an ILO office in the country in April 2018.
The ILO report also raised concerns about allegations of forced labor against Muslim minorities in parts of China. A report released by the UN human rights office on Aug. 31 said the country had committed “serious human rights violations” against Uighurs and other groups and that the detention of these people in “re-education camps” could constitute crimes against humanity.
China has vigorously denied the allegations and last month ratified two conventions against forced labor.
Regarding forced marriages, the ILO document shows that more than 6 million people were affected, many of them girls forced into marriage aged 16 and under, especially in Asia, the Pacific and in Arab countries. More than 80% of cases were motivated by family pressure.
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