MOSCOW, November 17 (Sputnik) — Roughly 36 million people, roughly 0.5 percent of the world's population, are enslaved, working in manufacturing, mining and agriculture, as well as sex industry and most of them are born into slavery or victims to debt-serfdom, according to Walk Free's Global Slavery Index.
International human rights group Walk Free has published a report revealing an estimated 35.8 million people live in slavery in 167 countries of the world. The top 10 slave states include nations mainly in Africa, Middle East and Central Asia.
Mauritania has the most percentage of slaves in modern world, according to the estimate, with 155,600 people (4 percent of the total population) enslaved. Slave status is inherited in this West African nation. The majority of Mauritania’s involuntary labour is concentrated in agriculture, as slaves are used as herdsmen for camels and cattle and field workers. Enslaved women most often do the housekeeping and childcare.
The second largest slave nation by percentage of involuntary labourers is Uzbekistan, with a total of 1.2 million people (3.97 percent of population). Slaves are mainly used to harvest cotton. State-imposed quotas oblige both adults and children gather cotton. This practice is decades old, according to the report.
Other top slave states include Haiti (237,700 slaves, 2.3 percent of population), Qatar (29,400 slaves, 1.4 percent), India (14.3 million slaves, 1.1 percent), Pakistan (2.06 million slaves, 1.1 percent), DR Congo (762,900, 1.1 percent), Sudan (429,000, 1.1 percent), Syria (258,200) and Central African Republic (52,200 slaves). Slavery in these nations is mostly child laborers and women used in the sex trade.
However, Qatar stands out in the list as this nation practices the enslavement of immigrants. Migrant workers are forced into involuntary labour and domestic servitude via such illicit practices as recruitment fees, confiscation of passports, overdue salaries, overtime working, and have to suffer beatings and sexual abuse from employers.
Walk Free has called for a greater international cooperation in the eradication of slavery, according to a BBC report. The entity suggests tightening legal penalties for human trafficking and criminalizing businesses which use involuntary labour.
This is only the second Global Slavery Index report, the previous being published a year ago. The authors say their methodology is constantly evolving and new data sources are emerging, meaning the Global Slavery Index may soon become a guidance on modern day slavery for international organizations like the UN.
