Over 50 Million people in the world are exposed to forced labor and marriage, novel practices of slavery.
In recent decades, the number of people caught in forcible labor, forcible marriage, and other crises has increased by 20%. About 50 million people are victims of such issues each day, according to the UN International Labour Organization.
Over 50% of the figure had been compelled to work against their wishes according to a report by the UN agencies for labor and migration. The remainder had been pushed into marriage. According to the research, it means that about one in every 150 individuals worldwide are victims of modern-day slavery.
Those who “cannot refuse or cannot leave because of threats, violence, deception, abuse of power or other forms of coercion” are examples of modern slavery. As such, forced marriages or labour introduce modern man into the fresh version of slavery.
The United Nations has set a deadline for the abolition of all types of modern slavery by the end of the 2020s. However, a new analysis found that in a 5-year span ending in 2021, the number of persons subject to forced labor or marriage increased by 10 million.
The COVID-19 pandemic had made things worse and increased debt loads for many laborers, aggravating the circumstance. Military conflicts and environmental issues are other factors that contribute to severe poverty and increased migration.
“I think, by and large, that we simply relaxed our efforts. We’ve taken our eye off the ball when it comes to forced labor,” ILO manager told the media. Guy Ryder also urged for the advancement of in working conditions and labour investigations. He said that trade restrictions may also be beneficial. Measures like the import ban on goods created with forced labor are presently under investigation in the EU.
Forced Labor Across the World
Any country in the world has some level of modern slavery. In upper-middle-income or high-income nations, forced labor instances and forced marriages account for more than 50% of all cases.
“It would be a mistake to believe that forced labour is solely the problem of poor countries,” Ryder told the AFP. According to the ILO, migrant labor are three times as likely to be impacted as residents.
Minor and female groups are by far the most fragile, according to the ILO. Over 20% of the persons who are compelled to work are children, and more than half of them are engaged in commercial sexual exploitation, according to the research.
Nevertheless, the survey also said that occupations mandated by the government were performed by 14% of individuals who were obliged to work. It expressed alarm over the misuse of involuntary labor in jail in several nations, including the US.
The United Nations rights office’s significant worries regarding reliable stories of forced labor under particularly harsh conditions” in North Korea were also mentioned. Additionally, it drew attention to the predicament in China and expressed alarm over claims of forced labor there.
It made reference to a report issued on August 31 by the UN’s rights office, which said that severe human rights abuses had occurred in China. ” Crimes against humanity” may have been committed in Xinjiang by confining Uighurs and other Muslims.
China has vehemently refuted the allegations and signed two agreements prohibiting forced labor in August. Beijing will now begin to reflect on the condition involving the Uighurs, so to speak.
In the Middle East, Countries like Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia are the centers of forced labour and forced marriages. Qatar’s abuse of workers in Stadium construction project is still under worldwide scrutiny.
