The second annual edition of the
Walk Free Foundation'sGlobal Slavery Index has found that globally, almost 36 million people are
subject to modern slavery.
While incidences of slavery were found in every one of the 167
countries surveyed, five countries -- India, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and
Russia -- accounted for nearly 22 million people (61%) suffering in bondage.
The worst offender, India, accounted for an estimated 14.29 million people.
Human slavery, the report states, is defined as "human
trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage, forced or servile marriage, or
commercial sexual exploitation." Continue...
Surge in
cases
The report found an increase of 20% on the foundation's findings a
year ago, although it attributed the rise to more sophisticated data collection
and analysis.
"There
is an assumption that slavery is an issue from a bygone era. Or that it only
exists in countries ravaged by war and poverty," Andrew Forrest, Chairman
and Founder of the Walk Free Foundation, said in a statement.
"The first step in eradicating slavery is to measure it. And
with that critical information, we must all come together -- governments,
businesses and civil society -- to finally bring an end to the most severe form
of exploitation."
Highest percentages
While some of the world's most populous nations were home to the
bulk of the incidences of modern slavery, other countries had higher
percentages of their populations enslaved.
The West African nation of Mauritania, the report found, had the
highest prevalence, with an estimated 4% of its population in bondage. Other
offenders include Uzbekistan (3.97%), Haiti (2.3%) and Qatar (1.35%).
The Emirate, which will play host to the World Cup in 2022, has
faced numerous questions concerning its labor laws and the kafala sponsorship
system, which limits foreign workers' rights of movement.
"Qatar hosts significant numbers of foreign workers, and has
risen in the ranking due to improved survey data, giving better insight into
the high number of enslaved migrant workers in the nation," Gina Dafalia,
the foundation's policy and research manager, told CNN. "It is ranked
fourth with an estimated 1.4% of the population in modern slavery. We consider
this to be a conservative estimate."
Qatar has
promised to address criticisms and expects to make announcements concerning repeal of
the kafala system in early 2015.
Refugees most vulnerable to slavery
Kevin Bales, lead author of the report, told CNN's Kristie Lu
Stout that vulnerability is a key factor in the prevalence of slavery in a
country, and that refugees are particularly susceptible to modern enslavement.
"It's not a surprise that many of the countries where we see
large proportions of the population in slavery are also those countries that
are beset by conflict, like Syria, and by other economic and environmental
problems," he said.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that forced
labor generates more than $150 billion in illicit profits every year, making it
the second largest source of profits for international organized crimes behind
the drugs trade.
Bright spots
Iceland and Luxembourg, the report finds, have fewer than 100 people
each living in slavery, the lowest number both in prevalence and in absolute
numbers.
While it acknowledges the efforts made by some countries, such as
the Netherlands, Sweden, the U.S. and Australia to tackle the global issue, the
report also reprimands some rich countries for not doing more.
Hong Kong, Singapore and Brunei, along with Qatar and Kuwait are
singled out for mention.
The Walk Free Foundation, a global human rights organization with
a mission to end modern slavery in a generation, was founded by Australian
philanthropists, Andrew and Nicola Forrest.
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