India is home to nearly half of world’s 30 million modern-day slaves
17 October, 2013
The Global Slavery Index lists India as the country with by far the most slaves, with an estimated nearly 14 million – almost half of the total number worldwide. China follows, with an estimated 2.9 million enslaved, and Pakistan comes in third with an estimate of over 2 million in modern slavery.
The top 10 countries on its list of shame accounted for more than three quarters of the 29.8 million people living in slavery, with Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh completing the list.
The index was published by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation, in consultation with an international panel of experts and has been endorsed by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former British prime ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Julia Gillard, and philanthropists Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson and Mo Ibrahim.
‘Non-labour’ forms of modern slavery, including forced and servile marriage, fraudulent adoption and organ trafficking have been identified in India. Forced marriage is partly fuelled by sex-ratio disparity – those states with worst disparity import girls into servile marriages from poorer states.19 Commercial surrogacy is legal in India and is an area of concern because of the potential for exploitation to occur, however no cases that would constitute modern slavery have been publicly verified, and surrogacy laws are in the process of being tightened.
The Global Slavery Index aims to be a tool that citizens, civil society groups, public authorities, and their partners can use to understand the size of the issue and assess progress in the eradication of all forms of modern slavery. The Index will help countries and citizens to understand their strengths and challenges in addressing modern slavery, and to build sound policies on that knowledge.
The Global Slavery Index seeks to cover all forms of modern slavery. It also aims to illuminate the different ways that people are moved into modern slavery: fraud and deception, abduction in conflict, false recruitment practices, the application of ‘customary laws’ that sanction forced marriages, and any other way that criminals devise to enslave people.
The index, which draws on 10 years of research into slavery and was produced by a team of 4 authors supported by 22 other experts, is the inaugural edition of what will be an annual report. It ranks 162 countries according to the number of people living in slavery, the risk of enslavement and the robustness of government responses to the problem.
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Hilary Clinton, former US secretary of state, said: “I urge leaders around the world to view this Index as a call to action, and to stay focused on the work of responding to this crime, even if your country receives a positive rank. Now we know the Index isn’t perfect and can’t answer every question about modern slavery, but this is an important starting point.”
Gordon Brown, former UK prime minister, said: “Andrew Forrest and Walk Free’s pioneering work to expose the full scale and horror of child slavery is a landmark moment in the struggle for children’s rights. He has undertaken the vital work of revealing the full evidence that will allow us to campaign for children to move from exploitation into education, from oppression into opportunity, from slavery into school.
“With this evidence, we can now plan the end of child slavery in our generation. If anybody is in any doubt that slavery is a thing of the past you must look at the Global Slavery Index produced by the Walk Free Foundation and Andrew Forrest. It exposes the horror and injustice of millons of people condemned to slavery in the 21st century. It is the most powerful call to action, and that action must be heeded by the international community.”
WFF was founded by Andrew Forrest, the chairman of Fortescue Metals Group, and his wife Nicola. Forrest, ranked by Forbes as Australia’s fifth richest man, adopted the cause after his daughter volunteered in an orphanage in Nepal in 2008, where she encountered victims of child sex trafficking. Forrest is a signatory to the Giving Pledge started by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, whose members commit to donating at least half their wealth to philanthropic causes.
Principal Resources:
What is the Government of India doing about it?
The World Bank estimated in 2012 that 32.7% of Indians lived below the international poverty line of less than US$1.25/day (PPP). Poverty and India’s caste system are significant contributing factors to its modern slavery problem. Indians most vulnerable to modern slavery are those from the ‘lower’ castes (dalits), and the indigenous communities (adivasis), especially women and children. In surveys of violence and discrimination against women, India is consistently ranked poorly. The low status of women and severity and prevalence of domestic violence in society puts them at risk of modern slavery.
Criminal justice responses are clearly at the heart of any response to modern slavery. However, other key considerations include government coordination, budget allocation and accountability, victim support services, and responses to clearly identified, vulnerable sectors (whether migrant workers or workers in the informal economy). What is the Government doing about it? Full Text
Download Global Slavery Index The Global Slavery Index report is published by the Walk Free Foundation (“Walk Free”).
Download the complete first edition of the Global Slavery Index or get a quick overview in the Executive Summary. Download
Video Report: Hilary Clinton, former US secretary of state, said: “I urge leaders around the world to view this Index as a call to action, and to stay focused on the work of responding to this crime, even if your country receives a positive rank. Now we know the Index isn’t perfect and can’t answer every question about modern slavery, but this is an important starting point.” Video: Hillary Clinton Global Slavery Index
Photograph: Revealed: India is home to nearly half of world’s 30 million modern-day slaves
India has half the world’s modern slaves: Study
Sixty-six years after independence, India has the dubious distinction of being home to half the number of modern day slaves in the world. The first Global Slavery Index has estimated that 13.3 to 14.7 million people live like slaves in the country — roughly equal to the population of Kolkata. India has half the world’s modern slaves: Study
India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria on slavery’s list of shame, says report CNN
Modern day slavery in the Gulf
The Middle East and North Africa, it said, showed the highest measured level of discrimination against women, with one result being a high level of forced and child marriages within the region, and widespread exploitation of trafficked women as domestic workers and prostitutes. Vulnerable male migrants also frequently found themselves in exploitative working conditions. Full Text: Modern day slavery in the Gulf
Last updated: 18 October, 2013
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