Thirty million people are slaves, half in India - survey

Kobi · 04-01-2014, 01:59 PM

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Some 30 million people are enslaved worldwide, trafficked into brothels, forced into manual labour, victims of debt bondage or even born into servitude, a global index on modern slavery showed on Thursday.

Almost half are in India, where slavery ranges from bonded labour in quarries and kilns to commercial sex exploitation, although the scourge exists in all 162 countries surveyed by Walk Free Foundation, an Australian-based rights group.

Its estimate of 29.8 million slaves worldwide is higher than other attempts to quantify modern slavery. The International Labour Organisation estimates that almost 21 million people are victims of forced labour.

"Today some people are still being born into hereditary slavery, a staggering but harsh reality, particularly in parts of West Africa and South Asia," the report said.

"Other victims are captured or kidnapped before being sold or kept for exploitation, whether through 'marriage', unpaid labour on fishing boats, or as domestic workers. Others are tricked and lured into situations they cannot escape, with false promises of a good job or an education."

The Global Slavery Index 2013 defines slavery as the possession or control of people to deny freedom and exploit them for profit or sex, usually through violence, coercion or deception. The definition includes indentured servitude, forced marriage and the abduction of children to serve in wars.

According to the index, 10 countries alone account for three quarters of the world's slaves.

After India, China has the most with 2.9 million, followed by Pakistan (2.1 million), Nigeria (701,000), Ethiopia (651,000), Russia (516,000), Thailand (473,000), Democratic Republic of Congo (462,000), Myanmar (384,000) and Bangladesh (343,000).

The index also ranks nations by prevalence of slavery per head of population. By this measure, Mauritania is worst, with almost 4 percent of its 3.8 million people enslaved. Estimates by other organisations put the level at up to 20 percent.

Chattel slavery is common in Mauritania, meaning that slave status is passed down through generations. "Owners" buy, sell, rent out or give away their slaves as gifts.

After Mauritania, slavery is most prevalent by population in Haiti, where a system of child labour known as "restavek" encourages poor families to send their children to wealthier acquaintances, where many end up exploited and abused.

Pakistan, India, Nepal, Moldova, Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Gabon have the next highest prevalence rates.

At the other end of the scale, Iceland has the lowest estimated prevalence with fewer than 100 slaves. Next best are Ireland, Britain, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Finland and Denmark, although researchers said slave numbers in such wealthy countries were higher than previously thought.

"They've been allocating resources against this crime according to the tiny handful of cases that they've been aware of," said Kevin Bales, lead researcher and a professor at the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation at Hull University.

"Our estimates are telling them that the numbers of people in slavery - whether it's in Great Britain or Finland or wherever - in these richer countries actually tends to be about six to 10 times higher than they think it is."

Walk Free Foundation CEO Nick Grono said the annual index would serve as an important baseline for governments and activists in the anti-slavery fight.

"This kind of data hasn't been out there before," he said. "It's a multi-year effort, and next year we'll have a much better picture of where slavery is and what changes there are. If you can't measure it, you can't devise policy to address it."

Countries with highest absolute numbers of slaves

India - 13.9 million

China - 2.9 million

Pakistan - 2.1 million

Nigeria - 701,000

Ethiopia - 651,000

Russia - 516,000

Thailand - 473,000

D.R. Congo - 462,000

Myanmar - 384,000

Bangladesh - 343,000

Source: Global Slavery Index 2013, Walk Free Foundation

http://www.trust.org/item/2013101622...urce=quickview

cinnamongrrl · 04-01-2014, 03:17 PM

I just saw a documentary about this as well as female castration. It was calle Half the Sky. Theres a book about the subject by the same name. And also a foundation by that name which tries to advocate for these oppressed women. It was an eye opener...to say the least. Thank you for mentioning this here.

aishah · 04-07-2014, 10:37 AM

trafficking (both sex and labor) is also a big problem in western countries, including the u.s. the polaris project (http://www.polarisproject.org/), which runs the u.s.'s national trafficking hotline, has a lot of good resources for learning more.

sex trafficking was a part of the abuse i went through for years with my "ex," and i've worked with a lot of survivors who were forced into it by parents, abusers, spouses, and other folks. it's awful.

u.s. immigration law and anti-prostitution laws make it really hard for survivors to get out and get help, and our way of doing things has impacted anti-trafficking initiatives in other countries that often leave survivors displaced or incarcerated.

i'd recommend checking out groups in your local community who are doing anti-trafficking work - a lot of big national organizations get funding but local groups who are helping trafficking survivors nearby depend on donations and small state grants a lot of the time. i also recently wrote a blog post about ways to combat trafficking if you can't donate.

04-01-2014, 01:59 PM	#1
Kobi Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Biological female. Lesbian. Relationship Status: Happy Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Hanging out in the Atlantic. Posts: 9,234 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,840 Thanked 34,662 Times in 7,652 Posts Rep Power: 21474860	Thirty million people are slaves, half in India - survey LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Some 30 million people are enslaved worldwide, trafficked into brothels, forced into manual labour, victims of debt bondage or even born into servitude, a global index on modern slavery showed on Thursday. Almost half are in India, where slavery ranges from bonded labour in quarries and kilns to commercial sex exploitation, although the scourge exists in all 162 countries surveyed by Walk Free Foundation, an Australian-based rights group. Its estimate of 29.8 million slaves worldwide is higher than other attempts to quantify modern slavery. The International Labour Organisation estimates that almost 21 million people are victims of forced labour. "Today some people are still being born into hereditary slavery, a staggering but harsh reality, particularly in parts of West Africa and South Asia," the report said. "Other victims are captured or kidnapped before being sold or kept for exploitation, whether through 'marriage', unpaid labour on fishing boats, or as domestic workers. Others are tricked and lured into situations they cannot escape, with false promises of a good job or an education." The Global Slavery Index 2013 defines slavery as the possession or control of people to deny freedom and exploit them for profit or sex, usually through violence, coercion or deception. The definition includes indentured servitude, forced marriage and the abduction of children to serve in wars. According to the index, 10 countries alone account for three quarters of the world's slaves. After India, China has the most with 2.9 million, followed by Pakistan (2.1 million), Nigeria (701,000), Ethiopia (651,000), Russia (516,000), Thailand (473,000), Democratic Republic of Congo (462,000), Myanmar (384,000) and Bangladesh (343,000). The index also ranks nations by prevalence of slavery per head of population. By this measure, Mauritania is worst, with almost 4 percent of its 3.8 million people enslaved. Estimates by other organisations put the level at up to 20 percent. Chattel slavery is common in Mauritania, meaning that slave status is passed down through generations. "Owners" buy, sell, rent out or give away their slaves as gifts. After Mauritania, slavery is most prevalent by population in Haiti, where a system of child labour known as "restavek" encourages poor families to send their children to wealthier acquaintances, where many end up exploited and abused. Pakistan, India, Nepal, Moldova, Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Gabon have the next highest prevalence rates. At the other end of the scale, Iceland has the lowest estimated prevalence with fewer than 100 slaves. Next best are Ireland, Britain, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Finland and Denmark, although researchers said slave numbers in such wealthy countries were higher than previously thought. "They've been allocating resources against this crime according to the tiny handful of cases that they've been aware of," said Kevin Bales, lead researcher and a professor at the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation at Hull University. "Our estimates are telling them that the numbers of people in slavery - whether it's in Great Britain or Finland or wherever - in these richer countries actually tends to be about six to 10 times higher than they think it is." Walk Free Foundation CEO Nick Grono said the annual index would serve as an important baseline for governments and activists in the anti-slavery fight. "This kind of data hasn't been out there before," he said. "It's a multi-year effort, and next year we'll have a much better picture of where slavery is and what changes there are. If you can't measure it, you can't devise policy to address it." Countries with highest absolute numbers of slaves India - 13.9 million China - 2.9 million Pakistan - 2.1 million Nigeria - 701,000 Ethiopia - 651,000 Russia - 516,000 Thailand - 473,000 D.R. Congo - 462,000 Myanmar - 384,000 Bangladesh - 343,000 Source: Global Slavery Index 2013, Walk Free Foundation http://www.trust.org/item/2013101622...urce=quickview

04-01-2014, 03:17 PM	#2
cinnamongrrl Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: cleverly disguised as a responsible adult* Preferred Pronoun?: wild woman Relationship Status: No, thank you. Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: in my heart I'm going to Carolina...but I'm in MA for now Posts: 7,574 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 14,881 Thanked 27,399 Times in 6,872 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	I just saw a documentary about this as well as female castration. It was calle Half the Sky. Theres a book about the subject by the same name. And also a foundation by that name which tries to advocate for these oppressed women. It was an eye opener...to say the least. Thank you for mentioning this here. __________________

04-07-2014, 10:37 AM	#3
aishah Member How Do You Identify?: queer stone femme shark baby girl Preferred Pronoun?: she, her, little one Relationship Status: dating myself. Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: dallas, tx Posts: 1,495 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 13,823 Thanked 6,437 Times in 1,288 Posts Rep Power: 21474850	trafficking (both sex and labor) is also a big problem in western countries, including the u.s. the polaris project (http://www.polarisproject.org/), which runs the u.s.'s national trafficking hotline, has a lot of good resources for learning more. sex trafficking was a part of the abuse i went through for years with my "ex," and i've worked with a lot of survivors who were forced into it by parents, abusers, spouses, and other folks. it's awful. u.s. immigration law and anti-prostitution laws make it really hard for survivors to get out and get help, and our way of doing things has impacted anti-trafficking initiatives in other countries that often leave survivors displaced or incarcerated. i'd recommend checking out groups in your local community who are doing anti-trafficking work - a lot of big national organizations get funding but local groups who are helping trafficking survivors nearby depend on donations and small state grants a lot of the time. i also recently wrote a blog post about ways to combat trafficking if you can't donate.