International Day for the Abolition of Slavery: 40.3 million people are in modern slavery
New Delhi, Dec 2: The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, 2 December, marks the date of the adoption, by the General Assembly, of the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others (resolution 317(IV) of 2 December 1949).
The focus of this day is on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.
What are forms of modern-day slavery?
Forced
labour
-
any
work
or
services
which
people
are
forced
to
do
against
their
will
under
the
threat
of
some
form
of
punishment.
Debt
bondage
or
bonded
labour
-
the
world's
most
widespread
form
of
slavery,
when
people
borrow
money
they
cannot
repay
and
are
required
to
work
to
pay
off
the
debt,
then
losing
control
over
the
conditions
of
both
their
employment
and
the
debt.
Human
trafficking-
involves
transporting,
recruiting
or
harbouring
people
for
the
purpose
of
exploitation,
using
violence,
threats
or
coercion.
Descent-based
slavery
-
where
people
are
born
into
slavery
because
their
ancestors
were
captured
and
enslaved;
they
remain
in
slavery
by
descent.
Child
slavery
-
many
people
often
confuse
child
slavery
with
child
labour,
but
it
is
much
worse.
Whilst
child
labour
is
harmful
for
children
and
hinders
their
education
and
development,
child
slavery
occurs
when
a
child
is
exploited
for
someone
else's
gain.
It
can
include
child
trafficking,
child
soldiers,
child
marriage
and
child
domestic
slavery.
Forced
and
early
marriage
-
when
someone
is
married
against
their
will
and
cannot
leave
the
marriage.
Most
child
marriages
can
be
considered
slavery.
Facts and figures:
- An estimated 40.3 million people are in modern slavery, including 24.9 in forced labour and 15.4 million in forced marriage.
- There are 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world.
- 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children.
- Out of the 24.9 million people trapped in forced labour, 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture; 4.8 million people in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million people in forced labour imposed by state authorities.
- Women and girls are disproportionately affected by forced labour, accounting for 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58% in other sectors.
- ILO has adopted a new legally binding Protocol designed to strengthen global efforts to eliminate forced labour, which entered into force in November 2016.