Fifty million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, according to a joint report by the intergovernmental organizations International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the non-governmental organization Walk Free. The latest “Global Estimates of Modern Slavery” reveals of these people, 28 million were in forced labor and 22 million were trapped in forced marriage.
According to the report, the number of people in modern slavery has risen significantly in the last five years. 10 million more people were in modern slavery in 2021 compared to 2016 global estimates. Women and children remain disproportionately vulnerable. Modern slavery occurs in almost every country in the world, and cuts across ethnic, cultural and religious lines. More than half (52 per cent) of all forced labor and a quarter of all forced marriages can be found in upper-middle income or high-income countries.
Modern slavery, as defined for the report, is comprised of two principal components – forced labor and forced marriage. Both refer to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or cannot leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, or abuse of power. Forced labor, as defined in the ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No.29), refers to “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily”. The private sector includes all forms of forced labor other than state-imposed forced labor.
State-imposed forced labor accounts for 14 per cent of people in forced labor. Most cases of forced labor (86 per cent) are found in the private sector. Forced labor in sectors other than commercial sexual exploitation accounts for 63 per cent of all forced labor, while forced commercial sexual exploitation represents 23 per cent of all forced labor. Almost four out of five of those in forced commercial sexual exploitation are women or girls. Almost one in eight of all those in forced labor are children (3.3 million). More than half of these are in commercial sexual exploitation.
An estimated 22 million people were living in forced marriage on any given day in 2021. This indicates an increase of 6.6 million since the 2016 global estimates. The true incidence of forced marriage, particularly involving children aged 16 and younger, is likely far greater than current estimates can capture; these are based on a narrow definition and do not include all child marriages. Child marriages are considered to be forced because a child cannot legally give consent to marry.
Forced marriage is closely linked to long-established patriarchal attitudes and practices and is highly context specific. The overwhelming majority of forced marriages (more than 85 per cent) was driven by family pressure. Although two-thirds (65 per cent) of forced marriages are found in Asia and the Pacific, when regional population size is considered, the prevalence is highest in the Arab States, with 4.8 people out of every 1,000 in the region in forced marriage.
Migrant workers are more than three times more likely to be in forced labor than non-migrant adult workers. While labor migration has a largely positive effect on individuals, households, communities and societies, this finding demonstrates how migrants are particularly vulnerable to forced labor and trafficking, whether because of irregular or poorly governed migration, or unfair and unethical recruitment practices.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency that brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States, to set labor standards, develop policies and devise programs promoting decent work for all women and men. Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration that brings together governments from 174 member states. The U.N. agency works closely with intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. Walk Free is an international human rights group focused on the eradication of modern slavery. The non-governmental organization is based in Australia.
Further information
Full text: Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage, International Labour Organization (ILO), Walk Free, and International Organization for Migration (IOM), released September 12, 2022
https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/ILO-GEMS-2022.pdf
Walk Free
https://www.walkfree.org/
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
https://www.iom.int/
International Labour Organization (ILO)
https://www.ilo.org/