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News > World

40M People Victims of Modern Slavery: UN Report

  • Children make up 25 percent of all modern slaves, and nearly 100 percent of the 4.8 million people forced into sexual labor are women.

    Children make up 25 percent of all modern slaves, and nearly 100 percent of the 4.8 million people forced into sexual labor are women. | Photo: Reuters

Published 19 September 2017
Opinion

Modern slavery is defined as people being forced into labor or marriage unions unable to leave because of threats.

A United Nations study revealed that approximately 40.3 million people around the world were victims of modern slavery in 2016.

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The U.N. International Labor Organization and International Organization for Migration, along with the Walk Free Foundation, released the report Monday, titled, "Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labor and Forced Marriage."

For the study, modern slavery is defined as people being forced into labor or marriage unions unable to leave because of threats, outright violence, coercion, or deception by captors.

The study shows that 15.4 million people, 84 percent of whom are female, were in a forced marriage last year. In terms of labor, state authorities force 4.1 million people into modern slavery while 16 million are forced into modern slavery by private companies.

Children make up 25 percent of all modern slaves, and nearly 100 percent of the 4.8 million people forced into sexual labor are women.

Fiona David, executive director of global research at the Walk Free Foundation, told Press TV that, “What is startling about these new estimates is the sheer scale of the modern slave trade and the fact that we have 40 million people across the world in some form of modern slavery is simply not acceptable.”

Data was collected from over 71,000 people in 48 countries and revealed that the highest rates of modern slavery are in Africa where there are 7.6 victims for every 1,000 people, followed by Asia at 6.1 percent.

This study, and “Global Estimates of Child Labour: Results and Trends, 2012-2016,” were released yesterday in time for the 72nd U.N. General Assembly Tuesday in New York.

ILO Director-General Guy Ryder has said, “The message ... is very clear: the world won’t be in a position to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals unless we dramatically increase our efforts to fight these scourges.”

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