oday, for the first time in 5 years, the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage were released jointly by UN organizations ILO and IOM, and the non-governmental organization, Walk Free.
“Modern slavery” as defined in the estimates are adults and children forced to work or marry against their will. The updated estimates are alarming, showing that 50 million people are in a situation of modern slavery on any given day, which devastatingly represents an increase of 10 million more people than in 2017.
We often grasp forced labor in terms of extremes – a fisherman trapped on a boat and not touching land for years, or the abusive trafficking of children for commercial sexual exploitation – but there is similar horror in less dramatic forms. The exploitation that is forced labor and forced marriage depends on one party’s ability – through threats, violence, coercion, deception, or abuse of power – to disregard another human being’s non-consent and to keep them in a situation that they cannot refuse or leave. A worker taking on excessive hours despite being unpaid for months because they simply cannot afford to give up those earnings is also a reality of forced labor.
We’ve seen the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic ravage regions and this devastation has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. During the pandemic, more people were exposed to forced labor – forced to work excessive hours in confined workplaces, including for production of personal protection equipment, like rubber gloves, in response to COVID-19.
We shouldn’t take false comfort in the idea that if not for the pandemic, prospects would be much rosier. The data in this report shows that forced labor is a problem across the globe – in fact, it is higher in the world’s richest countries than in middle or lower-middle income countries. Despite this fact, the over 28 million people in forced labor on any given day – including 3.3 million children – are the world’s poor; from marginalized groups; workers in the informal economy; and migrants.
The estimates also address state-imposed forced labor, including as a means of racial or religious discrimination, most notably in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region in China. Even though China recently scrambled to ratify UN Forced Labour Conventions, the estimates join the chorus of multiple UN bodies, including the Special Rapporteur of Contemporary Forms of Slavery, the ILO’s Committee of Experts, and the sobering, long-awaited report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Together, these reports paint a devastating picture of serious concerns about the continued human rights situation in China and has helped drive policies in the United States, other countries and the EU to use trade to prevent inputs and products associated with forced labor into import supply chains.
Ending forced labor once and for all is about prioritizing policy choices, by governments, lending institutions and businesses. The nugget of good news in the estimates is that effective policy solutions do exist.
Highlighting under-appreciated factors that can be critical in ending modern slavery:
- The importance of law enforcement and strengthened and empowered labor inspectorates. In situations like trafficking, the prosecution and punishment of traffickers in criminal courts is critical, but labor inspection plays a fundamental role not only in the identification and follow-up of forced labor, but in its prevention. Labor inspectors can discover violations such as the withholding of wages, unfair deductions, and abusive recruitment practices before they become forced labor. They can also detect other potential crimes such as the presence of children, unsafe working conditions, social security violations, and other abuses that might otherwise never be reported. This is not just a question of ensuring respect for basic human rights – it’s an underutilized tool in supporting a level playing field and fair competition between businesses.
- Social protection is under-appreciated as a risk reduction tool. The provision of basic social protections is a bulwark against vulnerability and reduces the pressure for the most vulnerable to pursue irregular migration paths. Wealthier countries and international financial institutions can do more to support the extension of basic social protection in low-income countries by reducing their debt burdens and freeing developing country governments to develop sustainable social safety nets.
- The contribution that the private sector can make with responsible business conduct. Ultimately, governments are accountable for the protection of human rights, but, as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights clearly state, every business has a responsibility to respect human rights, and responsibility is independent of whatever a government may or may not be doing. The estimates indicate that 86% of the instances of forced labor are found in the private sector. Businesses should examine their own operations and use what leverage they have with business partners to prevent, remedy, or mitigate adverse impacts at workplaces in their supply chains. For example, the global electronics industry, led by Apple, has made significant efforts to reduce the risk of forced labor in parts of the supply chain by prohibiting – and ensuring the repayment of – recruitment fees paid by migrant workers.
These new global estimates should set off alarm bells among governments, business, and consumers about the urgency of ending modern slavery. It is not a question of not knowing what to do, it’s sharing the commitment to prioritize actions that will end the scourge of modern slavery once and for all.
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The World Backslides on Efforts to End Modern Slavery
Image via iStock.
September 12, 2022
Modern slavery is a bigger problem than most realize - 50 million people are trapped in modern slavery today, an increase of 10 million since 2017. A recent report demonstrates policy solutions that can help end the practice, writes former UN ILO Deputy Director-General Martha E. Newton.
T
oday, for the first time in 5 years, the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage were released jointly by UN organizations ILO and IOM, and the non-governmental organization, Walk Free.
“Modern slavery” as defined in the estimates are adults and children forced to work or marry against their will. The updated estimates are alarming, showing that 50 million people are in a situation of modern slavery on any given day, which devastatingly represents an increase of 10 million more people than in 2017.
We often grasp forced labor in terms of extremes – a fisherman trapped on a boat and not touching land for years, or the abusive trafficking of children for commercial sexual exploitation – but there is similar horror in less dramatic forms. The exploitation that is forced labor and forced marriage depends on one party’s ability – through threats, violence, coercion, deception, or abuse of power – to disregard another human being’s non-consent and to keep them in a situation that they cannot refuse or leave. A worker taking on excessive hours despite being unpaid for months because they simply cannot afford to give up those earnings is also a reality of forced labor.
We’ve seen the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic ravage regions and this devastation has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. During the pandemic, more people were exposed to forced labor – forced to work excessive hours in confined workplaces, including for production of personal protection equipment, like rubber gloves, in response to COVID-19.
We shouldn’t take false comfort in the idea that if not for the pandemic, prospects would be much rosier. The data in this report shows that forced labor is a problem across the globe – in fact, it is higher in the world’s richest countries than in middle or lower-middle income countries. Despite this fact, the over 28 million people in forced labor on any given day – including 3.3 million children – are the world’s poor; from marginalized groups; workers in the informal economy; and migrants.
The estimates also address state-imposed forced labor, including as a means of racial or religious discrimination, most notably in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region in China. Even though China recently scrambled to ratify UN Forced Labour Conventions, the estimates join the chorus of multiple UN bodies, including the Special Rapporteur of Contemporary Forms of Slavery, the ILO’s Committee of Experts, and the sobering, long-awaited report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Together, these reports paint a devastating picture of serious concerns about the continued human rights situation in China and has helped drive policies in the United States, other countries and the EU to use trade to prevent inputs and products associated with forced labor into import supply chains.
Ending forced labor once and for all is about prioritizing policy choices, by governments, lending institutions and businesses. The nugget of good news in the estimates is that effective policy solutions do exist.
Highlighting under-appreciated factors that can be critical in ending modern slavery:
- The importance of law enforcement and strengthened and empowered labor inspectorates. In situations like trafficking, the prosecution and punishment of traffickers in criminal courts is critical, but labor inspection plays a fundamental role not only in the identification and follow-up of forced labor, but in its prevention. Labor inspectors can discover violations such as the withholding of wages, unfair deductions, and abusive recruitment practices before they become forced labor. They can also detect other potential crimes such as the presence of children, unsafe working conditions, social security violations, and other abuses that might otherwise never be reported. This is not just a question of ensuring respect for basic human rights – it’s an underutilized tool in supporting a level playing field and fair competition between businesses.
- Social protection is under-appreciated as a risk reduction tool. The provision of basic social protections is a bulwark against vulnerability and reduces the pressure for the most vulnerable to pursue irregular migration paths. Wealthier countries and international financial institutions can do more to support the extension of basic social protection in low-income countries by reducing their debt burdens and freeing developing country governments to develop sustainable social safety nets.
- The contribution that the private sector can make with responsible business conduct. Ultimately, governments are accountable for the protection of human rights, but, as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights clearly state, every business has a responsibility to respect human rights, and responsibility is independent of whatever a government may or may not be doing. The estimates indicate that 86% of the instances of forced labor are found in the private sector. Businesses should examine their own operations and use what leverage they have with business partners to prevent, remedy, or mitigate adverse impacts at workplaces in their supply chains. For example, the global electronics industry, led by Apple, has made significant efforts to reduce the risk of forced labor in parts of the supply chain by prohibiting – and ensuring the repayment of – recruitment fees paid by migrant workers.
These new global estimates should set off alarm bells among governments, business, and consumers about the urgency of ending modern slavery. It is not a question of not knowing what to do, it’s sharing the commitment to prioritize actions that will end the scourge of modern slavery once and for all.
