UN: 50 Million People Worldwide in ‘Modern Slavery’

The United Nations has warned of a significant increase in the number of people trapped in “modern slavery” globally, announcing that 50 million people in various parts of the world are enslaved due to working conditions or forced marriage.

In a report released on Monday, September 12, the organization stated that the number of “modern slaves” increased by approximately 10 million people between 2016 and 2021.

According to the report, which was prepared based on research by the UN’s migration and labor departments in collaboration with an anti-slavery charity organization, at the end of 2021, approximately 28 million people were trapped in forced labor and around 22 million were living in forced marriages.

Based on these statistics, it can be said that out of every 150 people in the world’s population, approximately one person is a victim of modern forms of slavery.

Guy Ryder, head of the International Labor Organization, described the lack of progress in fighting modern slavery as “shocking” and added: “Nothing can justify the continuation of this form of human rights violation.”

Based on the research findings, during the coronavirus crisis, conditions that constitute forced labor expanded due to worsening working conditions and increased debt among workers. Climate change, war, and military conflicts have also been cited as other factors contributing to the intensification of poverty and migration of vulnerable people to unsafe areas with no support.

The research warns that those trapped in forced labor typically remain enslaved for years, and women forced into marriage are compelled to spend their entire lives in this state of slavery.

Statistics show that at least one-fifth of those forced into labor are children, and more than half of them (approximately three million people) are exploited in commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking. Meanwhile, the risk of forced labor for migrant workers is three times higher than for adult non-migrant workers.

Antonio Vitorino, head of the International Organization for Migration, stated in a declaration: “The findings of this research are further confirmation of the importance of ensuring safety, legality, and regulating the migration phenomenon.”

The phenomenon known as “modern slavery” exists in virtually all countries worldwide, with more than half of forced labor cases and one-quarter of forced marriage cases occurring in countries with relatively high or high incomes.

The UN’s recent research also shows that since 2016, when the previous study was conducted, the number of girls and women forced into marriage increased by approximately 6.6 million people, and the number of those forced into labor increased by 2.7 million.

The statistics in this research show that approximately 14 percent of these people are forced into labor by governments, with notable examples including forced labor of prisoners in the United States and several other countries.

The research also refers to credible documents regarding the widespread prevalence of forced labor under very difficult conditions in North Korea and mentions the situation of the Uyghur minority and other Muslims in China as one of the most important cases of forced labor imposed by a government.

Michelle Bachelet, the former UN Human Rights Commissioner, stated in a report released on September 1 that judgment in this regard requires more information, “but it appears that the conditions in the labor camps in Xinjiang [in China] are discriminatory, and the residents of these camps are subjected to various forms of harassment or oppression.”

Source: Radio Farda