Believe it or not, there are an estimated 29.8
million people enslaved around the world.
The countries with the highest numbers of
enslaved people are India,
China, Pakistan, Nigeria,
Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar
and Bangladesh.
Taken together, these countries account for 76% of the total estimate of
29.8 million in modern slavery, according to Global Slavery Index released by
Walk Free Foundation.
Most of us who live in luxury with all the comforts that the world can offer must think of these poor people. More than that, we should act to get them out of poverty and slavery.
The country
with the largest estimated number of people in modern slavery is India,
which is estimated to have between 13,300,000 and 14,700,000 people enslaved.
The India country study
suggests that while this involves the exploitation of some foreign nationals,
by far the largest proportion of this problem is the exploitation of Indians
citizens within India
itself, particularly through debt bondage and bonded labour, it says.
The church should be in the forefront to salvage these enslaved millions. Pope Francis once said, “to whom should the Church go first? When we read the Gospel, we find a clear indication: not so much our friends and wealthy neighbours, but above all the poor and the sick, those who are usually despised and overlooked, those who cannot repay you.”
The country with the second highest absolute numbers of enslaved is China, with an estimated 2,800,000 to 3,100,000 in modern slavery. The China country study5 suggests that this includes the forced labour of
The church should be in the forefront to salvage these enslaved millions. Pope Francis once said, “to whom should the Church go first? When we read the Gospel, we find a clear indication: not so much our friends and wealthy neighbours, but above all the poor and the sick, those who are usually despised and overlooked, those who cannot repay you.”
The country with the second highest absolute numbers of enslaved is China, with an estimated 2,800,000 to 3,100,000 in modern slavery. The China country study5 suggests that this includes the forced labour of
men, women and children in many parts of the economy,
including domestic servitude and forced begging, the sexual exploitation of
women and children, and forced marriage.
The country
with the third highest absolute number in modern slavery is Pakistan,
with an estimated 2,000,000 to 2,200,000 people in modern slavery.
The Global
Slavery Index provides a ranking of 162 countries, reflecting a combined
measure of three factors: estimated prevalence of modern slavery by population,
a measure of child marriage, and a measure of human
trafficking in and out of a country. The measure is
heavily weighted to reflect the first factor, prevalence. A number one ranking
indicates a more severely concentrated modern slavery situation; 160 shows the
least.
According to the index, Mauritania, a West African nation with deeply entrenched
hereditary slavery, is ranked number 1 in the Index. This reflects the high
prevalence of slavery in Mauritania
– it is estimated that there are between 140,000 – 160,000 people enslaved in Mauritania, a
country with a population of just 3.8 million. This ranking also reflects high
levels of child marriage, and to a lesser extent, human trafficking.
Haiti,
a Caribbean nation plagued by conflict,
natural disaster and with deeply entrenched practices of child slavery (the restavek
system), is second on the Index. This reflects high prevalence of modern
slavery – an estimated 200,000 – 220,000 people are in modern slavery in Haiti, a
country with a population of just 10.2
million. This ranking also reflects high levels of child marriage, and human
trafficking from Haiti
itself.
Pakistan,
with its porous borders to Afghanistan,
large populations of displaced persons and weak rule of law, is third on the
Index. It is estimated that there are between 2,000,000–2,200,000 people in
various forms of modern slavery in Pakistan, a country with a
population of over 179 million.
Among the
countries with least number of slavery, Iceland, Ireland and the United Kingdom are
tied with a ranking of 160 in the Index. This does not mean these countries are
slavery free. On the contrary, it is estimated that there are between 4,200 –
4,600 people in modern slavery in the United
Kingdom alone. The estimated size of the problem in Ireland and Iceland
is much smaller, with Ireland
estimated to have 300–340 people in modern slavery, and Iceland less
than 100.
An analysis of the UK response on this issue
confirms much more can be done, as the Government response is fragmented and disjointed,
and that there have been alarming systemic failures, including the loss of
trafficked children from care.
It is
estimated that 72.14% of the estimated total 29.8 million people in modern
slavery are in Asia. The region holds a number
of countries with relatively low prevalence and risk of enslavement (such as Australia and New
Zealand), and some countries where the prevalence and
risk of enslavement are high (such as Pakistan,
India and Thailand).
According to the study, India is the
site of far more modern slavery than any other country. However, the risk of
enslavement varies across the country. “Many Indian states are as populous as
entire countries and have significantly different cultural and economic
profiles. The states of Uttar Pradesh (44 million people) and Bihar (83 million
people), for example, are both known to have high levels of hereditary forms of
debt bondage in rural areas, as well as trafficking of persons to and between
other Indian states,” it says.
The
correlation between prevalence and risk is not always clear. For example, India has a high estimated prevalence but a
medium estimated risk, pointing to possible limitations in the capacity of
existing data to fully capture the complexity of the risk factors present in India, such as
historical practices of debt bondage and the ongoing impact of discrimination
and the caste and tribal system, it says.
Ten countries with highest estimated number of population in
modern slavery
Country name Population Estimate of population in slavery
India 1,236,686,732
13,956,010
China 1,350,695,000 2,949,243
Pakistan 179,160,111
2,127,132
Nigeria 168,833,776
701,032
Ethiopia 91,728,849 651,110
Russia 143,533,000 516,217
Thailand 66,785,001
472,811
DR of Congo 65,705,093
462,327
Myanmar 52,797,319 384,037
Bangladesh 154,695,368 343,192
* * * *
Countries with highest
prevalence of modern slavery
Rank Country Name
1 Mauritania
2 Haiti
3 Pakistan
4 India
5 Nepal
6 Moldova
7 Benin
8 Côte d’Ivoire
9 The Gambia
10 Gabon
* * * *
Countries with lowest
prevalence of modern slavery
Rank Country Name
150 Denmark
150 Finland
150 Luxembourg
150 Norway
150 Sweden
150 Switzerland
159 New Zealand
160 United Kingdom
160 Ireland
160 Iceland
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