Number of victims of modern slavery rises sharply according to report, ICRC chairman says help for Sudan is “urgent”

This is evident from the most recent Global Slavery Index of human rights organization Walk Free, which was published in London on Wednesday. According to these figures, 50 million people worldwide are trapped in modern slavery – 10 million more than five years ago.

According to the report, people forced to leave their homes due to climate change, conflict and extreme weather events are particularly at risk of exploitation. A worldwide curtailment of women’s rights and the economic and social consequences of the corona pandemic are also exacerbating the situation.

According to the report, modern slavery is most common in North Korea, Eritrea, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Tajikistan, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

But many people are also exploited in the main industrialized and emerging countries of the G20. According to the report, the figure is believed to be 11 million in India alone; 5 million in China, 1.8 million in Russia, 1.3 million in Turkey and 1.1 million in the United States.

The human rights activists are also critical of the import of goods, which are often produced under coercion or dependence. In the G20 countries, so-called risk products worth 468 billion dollars (about 434 billion euros) are imported annually. This includes electronics, clothing and palm oil. Human rights activists believe that half of all victims of modern slavery should be indirectly attributed to the G20 through their supply chains.

“Modern slavery pervades every aspect of our society. It’s woven into our clothes, lights up our electronics and flavors our food,” Walk Free founder Grace Forrest said in a statement.

In addition to legislation to end modern slavery in supply chains, the human rights activists are also calling on governments to better integrate the fight against modern slavery into humanitarian aid and building a green economy. When working with repressive regimes, care must be taken to ensure that trade, business and investment do not contribute to or benefit from government-imposed forced labour. In addition, children, especially girls, should be better protected by making school education possible and preventing forced marriages.

According to its website, Australia-based organization Walk Free draws on the expertise of statisticians, criminologists, lawyers and development aid experts for its report. (sda/dpa)