In recent years there has been a rise of modern slavery around the world, according to human rights charity organisation Walk Free global slavery index published on Wednesday, the 24th of May.
Walk Free report shows
that in 2021 approximately 50 million people lived in “a modern slavery-like situations”, which is ten million more when compared with 2016, which was the last time this problem was assessed.
This number includes approximately 28 people engaged in forced labour and 22 million that live in forced marriage.
Walk Free lists in its report
that modern slavery is defined by forced labour, forced marriage, debt slavery, forces commercial or sexual abuse, human trafficking, as well as child selling and exploitation.
The basic principle of slavery is “systematic deprivation of freedom” – from the right to accept or refuse work to the freedom to determine whether, when and with whom to marry.
North Korea has the highest spread of slavery (104.6 per 1 000 residents). This country is followed by Eritrea (90.3) and Mauritania (32). In 1981 the latter became the last country in the world that made inheritable slavery illegal.
The ten countries in which
modern slavery is widely spread have certain similarities, including “limited civil freedom and human rights protection”.
Other countries with the highest modern slavery rates include Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Turkey, Tajikistan, Russia and Afghanistan.
Although forced labour is more commonly found in countries with low income, it is still deeply rooted in demand from countries with higher income, the report mentions, adding that two-thirds of all forced labour cases are related to global supply chains.
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