50 million people are living in conditions of modern slavery — a 25% rise over the last five years, says a new report.
Major Findings
50 million people were living in conditions of modern slavery on any given day in 2021.
The practice has become more prevalent over the last five years (a 25%/10 million rise), due to climate change, armed conflict, weak governance and COVID-19.
G20 nations account for more than half of all people living in modern slavery because their trade operations and global supply chains allow for human rights abuses.
India tops the list with 11 million people working as forced labourers, followed by China, Russia, Indonesia, Turkey and the U.S.
Challenges
High prevalence of modern slavery and stagnating government action highlight the difficulty in achieving this goal by 2030.
Sectors of the economy promote modern slavery like the textile industry promotes conditions of forced and unpaid work, lack of benefits (maternity leave), etc.
Poor govt policies- For example, the “Sumangali” scheme in Tamil Nadu traps women and girls from marginalised locations to work in exploitative conditions in spinning mills.
About Index
It is an assessment of modern slavery conditions in 160 countries.
It uses data released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), etc.
The Index provides rankings across 3 dimensions: Size of the problem (prevalence), Government response and Vulnerability (political instability, inequality).
The 2023 index is significant as India holds the G20 presidency this year, with a focus on sustainable development and climate change mitigation.
