50 million forced into labour after pandemic, climate crisis

• Forced labour and forced marriage are examples of modern slavery.
• 50 million people are believed to be victims of forced marriage and forced labour worldwide.
• The number of people who are forced to work has climbed by 11% to 28 million since 2016.

Disasters during the past five years, from pandemics to the climate crisis, have disrupted daily life, and a new study reveals that in many nations, the resulting economic unrest has driven millions into modern slavery.

According to a new report released on Monday by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Walk Free, and the International Organization for Migration, there are currently 50 million people believed to be victims of forced marriage and forced labour worldwide. This is an increase of 25% from the previous estimate in 2016 and represents a growing problem.

Forced labour and forced marriage are examples of modern slavery, which occurs when someone is unable to resist an order or flee due to threats, violence, or deceit. To get at their findings, the researchers performed a number of questionnaires in more than 180 nations.

Covid-19, violent conflicts, and the climate crisis, according to the research, disrupted work and education in “unprecedented ways,” which increased poverty, dangerous migration, and gender-based violence—all dangers for contemporary slavery.

Guy Ryder, the general director of the ILO, however, remarked that “nothing can justify the persistence of this fundamental abuse of human rights.”

“We know what needs to be done, and we know it can be done. Effective national policies and regulation are fundamental. But governments cannot do this alone,” he said.

Better legislation, more robust legal safeguards, and increased support for women, girls, and vulnerable people, according to the report, could dramatically lessen or even eradicate modern slavery.

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Forced marriages

According to the report, there are an estimated 22 million people living in forced marriages, a 43% increase over 2016 numbers.

According to the survey, more than two thirds of individuals forced to marry are women and girls, putting them at higher risk for indecent behavior and violence.

When population size was taken into account, researchers discovered that forced marriage was more common in Arab governments than it was in Asia and the Pacific, where it was more common.

According to the paper, Covid-19 has “exacerbated the underlying drivers of all forms of modern day slavery, including forced marriage.”

Lockdowns hindered daily wage workers in several nations from making a living, and when schools were closed, some families took their kids to work to help support the family.

Due of the pandemic, Delhi, the capital of India, saw one of the longest school lockdowns in history, keeping more than 4 million kids out of the classroom for more than 600 days.

According to Teach For India founder Shaheen Mistri, 10% of children in the city’s public schools dropped out of school as a result of the pandemic and its financial toll on lower-income families.

“Child marriage has gone up, violence against children has gone up, nutrition is a huge issue as many of our children depend on school meals,” Mistri said back in January.

Additionally, it’s possible that the data from Monday’s report may not provide a whole picture.

“As the data only partially reflect the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the estimates presented in this report are likely to understate the full magnitude of the pandemic’s impact,” it said.

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Children and forced labour

According to the report, the number of people who are forced to work has climbed by 11% to 28 million since 2016; nearly one in eight of these are youngsters, making the matter “specially urgent.”

According to the report, more than half of the kids are victims of commercial sexual exploitation, which includes trafficking offences where the main form of forced labour is providing indecent services.

“Qualitative reports indicate that children can be subjected to severe forms of coercion and abuse, including abduction, drugging, being held in captivity, deception and manipulation of debt,” according to the report. “Some of the worst abuses occur in situations of armed conflict.”

According to the research, private sector industries like manufacturing, construction, and agriculture account for about 86% of all cases of forced labour worldwide, with Asia and the Pacific hosting more than half of those cases.

According to research, there are distinctions between the sexes when it comes to forced labour, including the types of sectors that use them and the compulsion itself.

According to the survey, men are considerably more likely to work in the construction industry than women who are pushed into labour.

Men are more likely to face violent threats and financial penalties than women, it was claimed, who are more likely to be pushed into forced work through abuse and nonpayment.

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