A UK university’s Global Slavery Index has reckoned that 35.8 million people are enslaved across the world, just over 21 per cent more than previously estimated. Research for the Index was led by Professor Kevin Bales, based at the University of Hull’s Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE).
The Index, funded by the Walk Free Foundation, provides a quantitative ranking of 167 countries according to the estimated prevalence of slavery by measuring three factors: the estimated prevalence of modern slavery by population, the level of child marriage, and the amount of human trafficking in and out of a country.
Mauritania in North Africa has the highest proportion (prevalence) of its population in conditions of modern slavery at 4 per cent, followed by Uzbekistan (3.97 per cent), Haiti (2.3 per cent), Qatar (1.36 per cent) and India (1.14 per cent).
In terms of absolute numbers, India remains top of the list with an estimated 14.29 million enslaved people, followed by China (3.24m), Pakistan (2.06m), Uzbekistan (1.2m), and Russia (1.05m). Together these account for 61 per cent of the world’s modern slavery, or nearly 22 million people.
In Europe, over half a million people are trapped in modern forms of slavery, mostly through sexual and labour exploitation. While the Index estimates that just over 21 per cent more people are enslaved than reported in 2013, this significant increase is believed to be the result of more data and better methodology.
Visit also the Home Office modern slavery website: https://modernslavery.co.uk.
For an ACPO blog on the subject visit the ACPO website.
The Home Office modern slavery strategy includes factsheets for such industries as hospitality, agriculture and construction, urging workers to be alert to signs of modern slavery.
Prof Bales, who worked on the Index with WISE colleague Thomas Hammond and postgraduate students from the University of Hull said: “The prevalence estimate from the Index is a crucial tool in establishing the scale of modern slavery in the world today. It allows us to better formulate a response to the problem on every level, from community-based organisations to inter-governmental organisations. A better understanding of the size of the problem will lead to more informed policy-making and other anti-slavery initiatives.”
The Index is funded by the Walk Free Foundation. Andrew Forrest, Chairman and Founder of Walk Free, said: “There is an assumption that slavery is an issue from a bygone era. Or that it only exists in countries ravaged by war and poverty. These findings show that modern slavery exists in every country. We are all responsible for the most appalling situations where modern slavery exists and the desperate misery it brings upon our fellow human beings. The first step in eradicating slavery is to measure it. And with that critical information, we must all come together – governments, businesses and civil society – to finally bring an end to the most severe form of exploitation.”
The Index has been endorsed by political leaders such as Hillary Clinton, Gordon Brown and Julia Gillard, and philanthropists such as Bill Gates and Mo Ibrahim. Visit www.globalslaveryindex.org.
What to do
If you have a suspicion that there is such a crime happening in your area, contact the national modern slavery helpline on 0800 0121 700, your local police on 101 (or 999 if someone is in imminent danger) or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
