Forced labor is the sad reality for about 50 million people worldwide. The number has risen sharply by 25 percent in the past five years, according to a 2021 Modern Slavery Report from the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Walk Free Foundation, which opposed Slavery Committed, presented in Geneva on Monday.
The authors calculate 28 million people who are forced to work and 22 million who live in forced marriages and are mainly exploited there as housekeepers.
According to the study, nearly a quarter of those affected would be commercially sexually exploited. In this group, most – four out of five – are women. Over two-thirds of those forced into marriage are women and girls. The number has increased by 6.6 million in five years, partly due to the economic hardship caused by the corona pandemic.
State forced labor is not uncommon
While most forced labor takes place in the private sector, there is also state forced labour. 3.9 million people are affected. For example, the report mentions the Xinjiang region of China. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has just released a report saying that hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other members of Muslim minorities are being held in camps against their will and forced to work. China denies all allegations.
The report also states that there is also state-mandated forced labor in North Korea and Pakistan. He also mentions many other countries where prisoners or strikers are required to perform forced labour, including Botswana, the Republic of Moldova and the Philippines.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
