What is Modern Slavery?

There is no particular definition or explanation of “Modern slavery." It is a contemporary form of slavery. It is severe exploitation of others for personal or commercial gain using power, violence, threats, etc. According to a report titled "Stacked Odds," one in every 130 females globally is living under modern slavery. A report by Walk Free and 2 other United Nations Agencies, namely International Labour Organization ( ILO) and International Organization for Migration(IOM), reveals global estimates that women and girls account for 71% of all victims of Modern Slavery. This report also highlighted that 99% of victims of forced sexual exploitation are women. From the Outside, it is like a normal occupation, but inside they are controlled by exploitation.

Modern Slavery has many forms; such as :

1) Human Trafficking;

2) Forced Labour;

3) Debt Bondage or Bond Labour

4) Descent Based Slavery ( when slave status passing down the parental line)

5) Slavery of Children including child laborers, child trafficking etc.;

6) Forced and Early Marriage.

Some factors encourage Modern Slavery, such as the Absence of a Proper Rule of Law. Slavery thrives in the absence of proper law and enforcing system. This law is often enforced by the police. Absence of strong law and enforcement frameworks, human traffickers, operate with impunity. Another big reason is poverty. Around 750 million people worldwide live in extreme poverty; i.e., they make less than 1.9$ every day.  In the absence of alternative higher-paying works, many people are forced to take a risk and accept those offers, which leads to exploitation.

War and conflicts unstable conditions, both socially and economically. Such circumstances forced many people to accept slavery.  Not only War or conflicts, but Natural disaster also plays an important role in it. For example, during Covid pandemic adds 150 million people into extreme poverty.

Marginalized groups such as ethnic and religious minorities, women and children, migrants, and refugees often faced discrimination, and they are vulnerable to enslavement.

Girls and Women face more risk towards slavery because of socio-economic disadvantages such as poverty, lack of education, and political representation. In many countries, laws can exacerbate rather than protect from modern slavery. They prevent women from inheriting land and assets, traveling freely, driving, working without their husbands, etc. Within the workplace, gender discrimination is widespread. Women often penalize for gender discrimination. It is often noticed that men get higher wages than women for similar work. Lack of representation in all levels of a political party from the women community is another reason. As of October 2019, only 24.5% of women participated in national-level parliament globally.

Some measures can be taken to eradicate modern slavery. But eradicate modern slavery is not an easy task. By strengthening the laws, the state must work to build humanity among citizens. Awareness is also an important aspect that most people are not aware of.

The state/country needs to criminalize all forms of modern slavery and ensure penalties that must be proportionate to the seriousness of the offense. Child Slavery is another serious issue in the modern world. In many instances, we see that many poor parents give birth to many children because they believe that when the child grows, they’ll start earning for them somehow. This leads to slavery again. Therefore, the state must strengthen all legal safeguards and ensure the birth registration of every child.

Strengthening laws or policies that prevent or make it difficult for workers to leave abusing employers without risk of loss of visa and deportation and/or forfeit security deposits must be addressed. Overturning laws and policies that strip women of their rights or exacerbate their vulnerabilities to sexual violence of exploitation must be rewritten carefully.

Improve coordination among national agencies by developing evidence-based national action plans and establishing national referral mechanisms involving civil society, law enforcement agencies, and other groups, including NGOs. In addition, the improvement of cross-border collaboration and data sharing is essential to tackle modern slavery. 

The victims and survivors of modern slavery need more support from civil society. All frontline service providers must get professional and systematic training about how to help and support the victims. Work with communities, civil society, and faith leaders to create avenues for reporting crimes, improve access to protection and support services, and change social norms around widow cleansing, witchcraft accusations, and other harmful practices is the need of the hour.

Anti-Slavery International works to secure freedom for people who are or vulnerable to modern slavery. By working together, we can deliver true freedom to everyone globally because Freedom is for everyone, everywhere, and always. Hopefully, one day, equality and freedom will prevail.