From the Editorial
La Jornada Newspaper
Tuesday, December 3, 2024, p. 24
On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, the United Nations (UN) recalled yesterday that 50 million people around the world are victims of trafficking, forced labor, sexual exploitation and forced marriage.
According to the latest estimates from the International Labor Organization (ILO), forced labor and forced marriage have increased considerably in the last five years. There were 10 million more people in modern slavery in 2021 compared to 2016, bringing the total to 50 million worldwide. Women and children remain disproportionately the most vulnerable.
Although not defined in law, modern slavery is used as an umbrella term covering practices such as forced labor and forced marriage. It refers to situations of exploitation from which a person cannot escape due to threats, violence, coercion, deception or abuse of power, the UN said on its website.
He indicated that modern slavery occurs in almost all countries in the world, and crosses all ethnic, cultural and religious lines. More than half (52 percent) of all forced labor and a quarter of all forced marriages are in upper-middle or high-income countries.
The ILO adopted a new binding Protocol to strengthen the fight against forced labor worldwide, which entered into force in November 2016.
The annual global profit generated by forced labor is estimated at $236 billion. This amount represents wages taken from workers, which especially affects those who already have difficulties supporting their families. For migrant workers, it means less money they can send home. Additionally, governments lose tax revenue due to the illegal nature of these benefits, which can also encourage further exploitation, give more power to criminal networks and undermine the rule of law.
According to the ILO, Asia and the Pacific have the highest number of people subjected to forced labor (15.1 million), followed by Europe and Central Asia (4.1 million), Africa (3.8 million), America (3.6 million) and the Arab states (0.9 million).
Most forced labor occurs in the private sector, with 86 percent of cases imposed by private agents: 63 percent for labor exploitation and 23 percent for sexual exploitation. Forced labor imposed by the State represents the remaining 14 percent. The main sectors affected are industry, services, agriculture and domestic work, which together account for 89 percent of forced labor cases. There are also smaller sectors, such as forced begging and participation in illegal activities.
Slavery Abolition Day was established to raise public awareness about the scourge of modern slavery. The date of December 2 was chosen to commemorate the anniversary of the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, approved on December 2, 1949. More information at https://shorturl.at/OLC18.
