Where do YOU think modern-day slavery locations are?
Slavery is described as an inhumane, archaic practice of the past. But the reality is that it isn’t as much as we would like it to be. It’s still a dour reality that millions of people are entangled in.
In 2016, the Global Slavery Index calculated 45.8 million enslaved individuals in 167 countries. What’s worse is that one in four victims are children. And many modern-day slavery locations lack laws that directly criminalize and punish ownership or control over another individual, according to the Antislavery in Domestic Legislation database.
Modern slavery can be hard to recognize and detect in many cases. That’s because slavery has moved underground in most countries, and the definition of the term has expanded and evolved over the past several decades.
So let’s simplify it. We’ll give you the cold, hard facts: Here are 5 countries where slavery is still a part of life… for now!
Modern-Day Slavery Location: India
This modern-day slavery location is home to the world’s most significant number of enslaved people.
An estimated 18,354,700 individuals are reportedly living in modern slavery, which includes forced child labor, intergenerational bonded labor, forced marriage, and commercial sexual exploitation.
According to a report from Free The Slaves, impoverished villagers are mainly vulnerable to being enslaved through bonded labor and debt bondage, both of which are illegal. They must work in unsanitary and dangerous conditions to repay a growing debt.
And while this country’s intelligence agency advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “discredit” the report made in 2017 by the International Organization for Migration, the International Labour Organization, and Australian rights group Walk Free Foundation, the United Nations continued to defend its research, according to Reuters.
And the labor ministry vowed to rescue 18 million bonded laborers by 2030.
Modern-Day Slavery Location: North Korea
This might not come as a shock, but this modern-day slavery location is one of the biggest offenders, according to reports, with 4.37% of the population living in modern slavery.
In 2015, a UN investigator estimated that 50,000 North Korean nationals had been sent abroad to work in logging, mining, and the textile and construction industries.
Sent mainly to Russia, China, and the Middle East, these enslaved individuals generated around $2.3 billion annually for the government.
Meanwhile, the slaves usually worked up to 20 hours per day under unimaginable conditions and only earned between $120-$150 monthly.
The New York Times reports that the situations are so hopeless in North Korea that laborers often pay bribes to go to Russia. This just goes to show that slavery is everywhere in our “modern” world, even if we don’t see it daily. It’s quiet. It’s hidden. It’s insidious!
Modern-Day Slavery Location: Mauritania
Did you know that Mauritania was the last country in the world to outlaw slavery? The event happened in 1981. It wasn’t until 2007, though, that the government, which happened to be facing international pressure, passed a law that would prosecute enslavers.
Nevertheless, since then, the country has only charged three cases of slavery, and according to reports, 1.06% of the population still lives in bondage, with many children being born directly into slavery.
This number seems to be constantly changing, though. The aid group SOS Slavery, which uses a broader definition, estimated that, in fact, 20% of the population was enslaved!
Modern-Day Slavery Location: Libya
As recent as 2016, 1.130% of the Libyan population lived in slavery. Even worse, in 2017, the country shocked the entire world when CNN investigated, and they exposed ACTUAL slave auctions.
Grainy cell phone footage was released of two young men who were being sold for 400 US dollars each seemed like something out of a nightmarish movie and sparked global protests and outrage.
According to a statement by Time, many refugees and migrants risking their lives to reach Europe by sea get caught in this modern-day slavery location and are kept in “horrific” detention centers where they’re vulnerable to being raped, beaten, and sold as slave labor.
Shortly after CNN’s initial report, the country’s government announced they’d launched a formal investigation into the issue.
Modern-Day Slavery Location: China
In this modern-day slavery location, an estimated 3,388,400 individuals are victims of modern slavery, according to reports.
Forced and child labor is one of the most significant issues in the region, and it’s a subject that made headlines in 2007 after officials rescued 450 captives, some of whom were children as young as 14 years old, who had been forced to work up to 20 hours daily with no pay in brick kilns.
Many were burned, beaten, and barely given enough food to survive. The trafficking of children and women into forced marriages and trafficking is also a massive issue, according to the GSI.
Female immigrants who reach out to others for support are especially at risk of being privately sold as brides.
In fact, an estimated 30,000 North Korean women were living in China and tolerating various kinds of slavery in 2012, according to The Christian Science Monitor reports.
Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section. Meanwhile, Devastating Disasters has much more information to share with its readers.
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