Walk Free, the Australia-based rights group, recently released its global slavery index, which tracks the number of people stuck in a system of exploitation that they cannot refuse or leave due to threats, violence, coercion, abuse of power or deception. The instances include, but are not limited to, forced labor in farming, fishing and manufacturing, commercial sex work and forced marriage.
The report ranks incidences of slavery in 167 countries, with India having the highest number of slaves while North Korea has the highest percentage of slaves per capita. Over half (60 percent) of the 45.8 million people living in modern slavery are in five Asian countries: India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan.
According to the study, there are almost 6.3 million slaves in sub-Saharan Africa today. In nominal terms, Nigeria ranks 1st in sub-Saharan Africa with a total number 875,500 slaves, closely followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo with 873,100, and Ethiopia with 411,600 slaves. However, the Democratic Republic of Congo has the highest percentage of slaves per capita.
Why are the numbers up this year?
To properly answer this question, one has to look at the factors that make a population vulnerable to slavery.
Migration
The movement of people from their home either in search of greener pastures leaves them vulnerable to exploitation, the chances of migrants falling victim to exploitation skyrockets when they employ the services of human traffickers out of desperation to reach their destination. A report by the Gatestone institute reveals the extent to which female Syrian refugees in Turkey — a country the European Union leadership now deems “safe” — have become the victims of human trafficking networks, as many are forced into prostitution, early marriage and child slavery. In 2013 alone, the Sharia courts in Jordan documented 737 marriages involving Syrian girls under the age of 18, compared to 42 cases in 2011, when the Syrian crisis began.
Population Explosion
In the last 60 years, the world’s population has tripled and most of this growth is situated in developing countries. Unfortunately, poor developing countries with a huge working age population are often targeted by huge multinationals because the population has grown faster than the economy, leaving many people economically vulnerable. A fire, flood, drought, or medical emergency places them in the hands of ruthless moneylenders and who enslave them with unrealistic interest rates. Desperate for cash, however little, these people will gleefully take jobs in factories where they are paid just enough to survive working in inhumane conditions.
Weak Government Institutions
Government corruption often allows slavery to go unpunished. Many law enforcement officials aren’t even aware that bonded labour, where someone is enslaved to work off a loan, is illegal. In many places, those in slavery have no police protection from predatory traffickers. There have been several reports coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo that reveal how institutional failure has led to armed groups acting outside the confines of the law and morality, targeting communities (especially mining towns and villages) to institute forced labour.
A more accurate methodology.
The 2013 study that was conducted in 162 countries estimated the number of slaves in the world at 29.8 million. There was a 20 percent increase in 2014 to an estimate of 35.8 million people. This year’s numbers are 28 percent higher than in the previous report and, at this rate, the number will be near 60 million by 2020. Forrest says the rise is partially due to more accurate methodology but, he also believes the number of people trapped in slavery is increasing. For the 2016 report, the Walk Free Foundation partnered with Gallup poll to conduct 42,000 interviews in 167 countries in 53 languages, covering 44 percent of the world’s population. The report has been described as the most accurate and up-to-date analysis of slavery in history.
Whether or not the lens with which the Walk Free Foundation assessed the problem got sharper through its partnership for the 2016 report, governments need to look more closely at illicit labour recruitment, crack down on companies that provide conduit in which people end up in bonded labour either directly or otherwise. Also, the authorities need to be proactive in the prevention of this hideous act by monitoring individuals and illegal companies targeting vulnerable people in poverty stricken communities.
The government’s response to modern slavery in most sub-Saharan African countries was classified by the Walk Free Foundation as “inadequate.” This can be attributed to the government’s lacklustre policies, poorly enforced laws and underfunded NGOs. These factors lead to gaps in the system which are necessary to ensure coordination between government agencies and NGOs.
“I believe in the critical role of leaders in government, business and civil society,” Andrew Forrest, the billionaire chairman of the Walk Free Foundation, said in a statement. “Businesses that don’t actively look for forced labor within their supply chains are standing on a burning platform,” Forrest said.
The group said progress has been made since its last report, with all countries in Asia except North Korea now having laws criminalising some forms of modern slavery. Many of these countries now have improved cooperation between government and NGOs, Rights groups and journalists because they are usually more proactive in investigating illegal activities at the grass-roots and aren’t afraid to call out compromised officials. This approach seems to be working for India, and the country has achieved remarkable success recently.
Currently, 33 of the 45 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are running campaigns against known modern slavery risks to raise awareness on methods to identify victims and the proper authority to report to. A comprehensive reporting mechanism has been put in place in countries like South Africa and Lesotho.
