Slavery

Modern slavery is unseen because it's convenient | The Future of Work Podcast - ILO Voices

Slavery is the practice of owning and controlling people as property, and using them for labor or other purposes. It has existed throughout human history, and has taken many different forms. In the past, slavery was often justified on the grounds of race, religion, or nationality, with slaves being considered inferior to their owners. Slavery was abolished in most parts of the world during the 19th and early 20th centuries, but it still exists in some parts of the world today. It is a violation of human rights and is condemned by international law.

The prevalence of modern-day slavery is difficult to determine, as it is often hidden and difficult to detect. However, according to the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage, an estimated 40.3 million people are subjected to modern slavery and human trafficking worldwide. This includes 25 million people who are subjected to forced labour, and 15.4 million people who are in forced marriages. It is a global problem that affects people of all ages, genders, and nationalities. Above all, these crimes are often hidden and difficult to detect, and they require continued efforts to prevent and combat them.

Other terms

  1. Human Trafficking
  2. Modern day slavery
  3. Forced labor
  4. Debt bondage
  5. Forced marriage
  6. Servitude
  7. Labor exploitation
  8. Labor trafficking
  9. Human exploitation

Forms of human trafficking

People who are subjected to these crimes are forced to work in a wide range of occupations and industries. To illustrate, human trafficking occurs in:

  1. Agriculture, including farming, fishing, and forestry
  2. Construction, including building and infrastructure projects
  3. Domestic work, including cleaning, cooking, and childcare
  4. Manufacturing, including textiles, electronics, and clothing
MTV’s Korean Drama Butterfly to Raise Awareness on Human Trafficking
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MTV’s Korean Drama Butterfly to Raise Awareness on Human Trafficking

An unfortunate social reality in the Asia-Pacific is that it accounts for the lion’s share of the world’s human trafficking: according to the United Nations, 56 percent to be exact. Globally, the number of victims is around 2.5 million people, mainly women and children. In an effort to stem this human rights atrocity, MTV EXIT…

Bangladeshi migrants still paying off debts from working in Qatar
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Bangladeshi migrants still paying off debts from working in Qatar

Bangladeshi migrant workers are reporting returning to their home countries saddled with debt after paying high recruitment fees to work in Qatar. These costs include paying for international travel, passports, visas, medical fees and other charges. Contracts cut short In order to break even, a Bangladeshi 2020 Cost of Migration Survey found that male workers…

Human Trafficking: A Look Inside “The Life” – Jane’s story
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Human Trafficking: A Look Inside “The Life” – Jane’s story

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (WBAY) – Now that local experts opened the curtains to a world most people are unaware of (see part 1 of our special report), it’s time to understand why it’s difficult–but possible–for victims to escape the darkness. Jane vaguely remembers when she was forced into human trafficking, but she does recall being sexually…

The disturbing links between climate change and modern-day slavery | The Hill
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The disturbing links between climate change and modern-day slavery | The Hill

On Sept. 12, a disturbing new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Walk Free and International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed that the number of people in modern slavery has risen by approximately 10 million since 2016. Fifty million women, children and men are exploited through forms of slavery like forced labor and sex trafficking on any given…

Migrant workers on British farms trapped in 'debt bondage', MPs told | The Independent
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Migrant workers on British farms trapped in 'debt bondage', MPs told | The Independent

  Government inspectors have found cases of debt bondage among seasonal agricultural workers in the UK, MPs have heard. Margaret Beels, director of labour market enforcement at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis), told a committee of MPs she was “worried” that overseas recruitment had led to some seasonal workers being stuck…

Three Boys Safe in Ghana: A Love Justice Story of Freedom Versus Slavery
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Three Boys Safe in Ghana: A Love Justice Story of Freedom Versus Slavery

*Based on a true story. It was raining that morning at the river crossing, little circles forming on the surface of the muddy water. Sampson* and his brothers, Elshaddai* and Yaw,* were traveling with an older man, getting ready to cross over. It had only been a few months since their parents died, but it…

Enhancing the fight against human trafficking in the Granite State
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Enhancing the fight against human trafficking in the Granite State

   Darlene Pawlik vividly remembers the moment her 14-year-old self was taken to Plaistow, N.H., by a physician – not for medical treatment, but for sex. Pawlik had just been bought by this older man. “So, why are you doing this?” he asked. “Uh – just bored, nothing else to do,” Pawlik said. But it was not boredom that…

Migrant workers on British farms trapped in 'debt bondage', MPs told | The National Wales
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Migrant workers on British farms trapped in 'debt bondage', MPs told | The National Wales

Government inspectors have found cases of debt bondage among seasonal agricultural workers in the UK, MPs have heard. Margaret Beels, director of labour market enforcement at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis), told a committee of MPs she was “worried” that overseas recruitment had led to some seasonal workers being stuck in…

Modern Slavery & Shipping: Exploitation at Sea (from Mekong Club)
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Modern Slavery & Shipping: Exploitation at Sea (from Mekong Club)

Greetings from the Mekong Club, On behalf of the Institute for Human Rights and Business and The Mission to Seafarers, we would like to thank those who were able to join our “Modern Slavery & Shipping: Exploitation at Sea” webinar. We hope you enjoyed it! You can find a recording of the presentation HERE. (Editor’s note: it is also embedded above.) I…

Australian clean energy industry issues modern slavery warning
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Australian clean energy industry issues modern slavery warning

In a report this week, Australia’s Clean Energy Council is calling for more local manufacturing of renewable energy products in response to growing evidence of modern slavery in the global clean energy industry. The Guardian reports, Released on Tuesday, the paper said slavery in all supply chains was a global problem. But Australia is on…