Around 50 million people around the world are living in modern day slavery, among whom 28 million are victims of forced labour, says a report published today.
The ‘Global Estimates of Modern Slavery Report 2022’, prepared by IOM, Walk Free and International Labour Organization (ILO), provides a detailed picture of how people are being forced to do certain jobs across the globe.
The report makes a shocking revelation, which is that 52 percent of all forced labour can be found in upper-middle or high-income countries.
According to the report, 86 percent of forced labour are in the private sector, while state-imposed forced labour accounts for 14 percent. Almost one in eight of all those in forced labour are children (3.3 million), and more than half are in commercial sexual exploitation.
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The report also says that migrant workers are three times more likely to be in forced labour than non-migrant adult workers. Migrants are particularly vulnerable to forced labour and trafficking due to irregular or poorly governed migration and unfair, unethical recruitment practices.
The report talks about Qatar, a gulf country which has recently obtained the reputation for labour rights violations relating to migrants working there focusing on the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The report proposes a number of recommendations which, if implemented, would mark significant progress towards ending modern slavery. They include improving and enforcing laws and labour inspections, ending state-imposed forced labour, stronger measures to combat forced labour and trafficking in business and supply chains, extending social protection, and strengthening legal protections.
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Some other measures suggested by the report include addressing the increased risk of trafficking and forced labour for migrant workers, promoting fair and ethical recruitment, and greater support for women, girls and vulnerable individuals.