Some 50 million people worldwide live ‘in situations of modern slavery’, report says

North Korea, Eritrea and Mauritania are the countries most affected by modern slavery, according to the Global Slavery Index (in English) posted Wednesday, May 24. The latter notes a “aggravation” of the situation in the world since its last publication five years ago. The report estimates that 50 million people live “in situations of modern slavery” in 2021, i.e. 10 million more than in 2016.

Established by the association Walk Free, this figure includes 28 million people in situations of forced labor and 22 million forced into marriage. Among the situations considered modern slavery, it also lists the “debt bondage”I’“sexual exploitation” or even the “sale and exploitation of children”. Walk Free explains in particular this aggravation of the phenomenon by the “armed conflicts on the rise and more complex” and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Russia also mentioned

According to the report, North Korea has the highest rate, with 104.6 people in modern slavery per 1,000 people. Next come Eritrea (90.3) and Mauritania (32), which in 1981 became the last country to make hereditary slavery illegal. Many of the most affected countries are in regions “volatile” in a situation of conflict or political instability, where there is a large population “vulnerable” as refugees or migrant workers. Also among the ten most affected countries are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey is also there, “which hosts millions of Syrian refugees”Tajikistan, Russia and Afghanistan.