image source, Getty Images
Children in Bangladesh are paid low wages to collect garbage in Bangladesh.
International Labor Organization According to the United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO), for every 150 people in the world, at least one person is in modern slavery.
The ILO said a total of 50 million people were affected, up from 40 million four years ago.
What is “modern slavery”?
Modern slavery is a term encompassing the exploitation of people through various acts, including:
- Forced labor – Any work that people are forced to do against their will.
- Debt bondage – when people are forced to work to pay off their debts.
- Hereditary slavery – where a person is born a slave and is treated as property.
- Forced Marriage – When a person reluctantly marries and cannot divorce.
- House slave – This is not always a slave. But domestic workers can be exposed to harassment and exploitation at home without anyone knowing.
According to the ILO, 49.6 million people worldwide are facing modern slavery. or about every 1 in 150 people
“It is exploiting the vulnerable. generally for economic gain,” said Dr. Monty Dutta, an associate professor of political science at the University of Richmond in the US and an anti-slavery activist.
“Concurrent with intimidation Whether physical or mental.”
How many people are forced to work?
The ILO says 27.6 million people face forced labour.
In particular, migrant workers are vulnerable to this situation.
They are people from poor countries who are chosen to work abroad in sectors such as construction, agriculture, textile production and domestic work, and then forced to do so. unable to go home
image source, Getty Images
Sugar cane cutters in northeastern Bahia Brazil Tackling some of the toughest working conditions in the world
Ewan Fraser of the International Organization of Justice UK International Justice Mission UK said: “We think there are four billion people in the world who are not protected by the law.”
“People are trapped in forced labor and human trafficking. Employers are allowed to exploit them without penalty.”
Dr Datta said that India is perhaps the country with the worst forced labour.
“The big concern is the use of forced labor in places like brick kilns. and child labor,” she said.
Worldwide, an estimated 4.9 million women and children are forced into prostitution.
“The trauma of this kind of slavery was perhaps worse than the trauma of war,” Dr. Datta said.
“And there’s also a stigma attached to it, so it’s hard for survivors to talk about it. It may take several years for survivors to recover from both physical and psychological damage.”
How many people are forced into marriage?
According to the ILO, around 22 million people worldwide are in situations of forced marriage.
Of these, two-thirds are in the Asia-Pacific region.
Dr. Dutta said, especially India and neighboring countries such as Pakistan. Known for forcing women under 18 to marry.
However, ILO data shows that forced marriage is more prevalent in Gulf countries, with 4.8 people out of 1,000 in the region being forced into marriage.
Who gave rise to modern slavery?
Private employers are responsible for 86% of all forced labor worldwide. (including forced sex work)
The ILO estimates that employers profit from forced labor worldwide at US$150 billion (about 5.2 trillion baht).
According to the ILO, US$51.8 billion (about 1.8 trillion baht) of this amount is profits made by employers in the Asia-Pacific region from forced labour.
Realized profits of US$46.9 billion (about 1.6 trillion baht) come from the developed nations of the European Union.
image source, Getty Images
Camps for migrant workers in the Persian Gulf countries are often overcrowded.
However, according to the ILO, the region with modern slavery more than anywhere else in the world is as a percentage of the population Persian Gulf nations 5.3 people were in forced labor for every 1,000 people.
Ewan Fraser of the International Organization of Justice Britain says the number of people forced into forced labor is on the rise. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic
“Due to COVID, many people are stranded abroad or have lost their jobs. They are in desperate need of money. Therefore, there is a risk of becoming a victim of human traffickers,” she said.
“This is a great time for the rise of slavery.”
