Modern slaves

Slavery was thought to be a relic of the 19th century. The triumphs of the 20th century in eliminating the practice from law were much heralded – but the practice has continued to exist in social and economic relations. Figures released by the International Labour Organization confirm that almost 40.3 million humans are still victims of modern slavery. The statistics add to the already dim picture of humanity that has been painted over the year by one report after another on how poorly we are doing in terms of providing dignity to all human beings. Record high numbers of refugees and migrants and rising levels of food insecurity are only two of the other major ways in which we are failing to live up to our own lofty standards. The details of those trapped in modern slavery are more alarming. Almost one-fourth of these are children. Almost 25 million of the number is trapped in forced labour while another 15.4 million are in forced marriage. The second of these numbers explains why women make up a disproportionate number of the 40 million people humans that still live in slavery. The biggest number is in the private economy while 5 million are in forced sexual exploitation and almost 4 million in state-backed forced labour.

It is easier to say that this situation is not acceptable than to do something about it. The reality is that little has been done to help people improve their lives. Only 63,000 victims of slavery were reported to authorities last year, showing the enormous gulf between the problem and the seriousness of the response to it. Most governments are happy to let slave work continue as their economies reap the benefits. The problem is not limited to the developing world. The growing anti-immigrant tide in Europe and America has made it easier for employers to employ immigrant labour at the lowest wages possible. The threat of deportation is enough for many illegal immigrants to continue to work in highly exploitative environments. In Pakistan, the focus has remained on brick kiln workers, while workers in other industries, such as fisheries, share the same exploitative arrangements. Even when the state has seemed to be active it has failed to show any spine. The ILO has noted that the practice is most prevalent in Africa but the study remains marred by the inability to get reliable data from places such as China and the Gulf States. We have seen a doubling of the number of slave workers within a decade. This cannot but be seen as a deliberate failure. Ending this must be a global commitment.