“Modern slavery is the antithesis of social justice and sustainable development. Global estimates of 2021 indicate that they are there every day 50 million people forced to work against their will or to marry forcibly ». These are the estimates of the latest report published by the United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO), in collaboration with Walk Free and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). “A number that translates into almost one in 150 people in the world“.
Compared to the latest data from 2016, the worsening of the crises due to the pandemic, armed conflict and climate change has increased the number of people in situations of modern slavery by 9.3 million. Of the 49.6 million estimated by the report, 27.6 million – of which 3.3 million children – find themselves in conditions of forced labor, while 22 million they are forced to marry against their will. “Nothing can justify the persistence of this fundamental abuse of human rights,” commented ILO Director General Guy Rider.
The most vulnerable groups remain women and minors, while migrant workers are three times more likely to be forced into forced labor. Almost all countries in the world are affected by this phenomenon, but more than half (52%) of forced labor and a quarter of all forced marriages are concentrated in high-income or upper-middle-income countries.
“86% of cases are found in the private sector, while cases included in sectors other than commercial sexual exploitation represent 63% of the total. Commercial sexual exploitation, on the other hand, accounts for 23% of all forced labor and almost four out of five of those sexually exploited are women or girls, ”the report reads.
As for forced marriages, the real incidence of the phenomenon is probably higher than the estimated one, especially as regards situations involving children under 16, who cannot legally express their consent. “Over 85% of forced marriages was determined by family pressures. Although two thirds (65%) of cases occur in Asia and the Pacific, when considering the size of the regional population, the prevalence is higher in the Arab states, with a statistic of 4.8 people in 1,000 ”.
In order to be able to eliminate modern slavery by 2030, the report proposes a series of recommendations to be respected globally. We need to “improve the enforcement of labor laws and inspections, put an end to forced labor imposed by the state, extend social protection and strengthen legal safeguards, includingraising the legal age of marriage to 18 without exception. Among others, those to encourage greater support for women, girls and the most vulnerable people ».
“We know what needs to be done and we know it can be done,” concludes ILO director Guy River. “Effective national policies and regulations are essential. But governments can’t do it alone. International standards provide a solid foundation and an all-encompassing approach is needed. Trade unions, employers ‘organizations, civil society and ordinary people all have a fundamental role to play.’