How many slaves today

Explore them below. Women, men or children that are forced into the commercial sex industry and held against their will by force, fraud or coercion. Human beings are forced to work under the threat of violence and for no pay.

These slaves are treated as property and exploited to create a product for commercial sale. Modern slavery affects people of every colour, age and gender — but is more prevalent among vulnerable people. That might be a Cambodian villager looking for a better paid job in a neighbouring country, only to find himself trafficked on to a fishing boat. Or a homeless person kidnapped from a London soup kitchen and forced to work on a caravan site. Slavery is global but flourishes in places where the rule of law is weak and corruption goes unchecked, says Anti-Slavery International.

Activists such as Kara believe that slavery can be eradicated for good , but that it would take great political will and considerable research. First, dedicated investigators would need to identify each level in the often murky supply chains of commodities in order to determine where labour abuses are taking place. Then, independent certification processes would need to be designed for each commodity, so that consumers could make educated choices about the products they are buying and the slavery or labour abuses implicated with those purchases.

Finally, Kara says, industries would need to invest in the communities whose low-cost labour is being used to make the products. But a freer and fairer labour environment would promote greater productivity, potentially offsetting some of those expenses.

Businesses, for example, face unfair competition from unscrupulous companies who reap the profits of forced labour. That may put pressure on them to lower wages or cut benefits. Meanwhile governments lose out on precious tax revenue while facing huge legal costs from prosecuting forced labour cases-money which could be spent on public services like education, healthcare or public transportation.

MYTH: Most of the money from forced labour is made in the developing world FACT: The annual profits per victim of forced labour are far, far higher in developed economies and the European Union than they are anywhere else in the world.

FACT: You can play a part in the fight to end slavery. It is up to governments to enact and enforce legislation, protect their citizens and ratify the Protocol on Forced Labour. Laboni, Nepal We believe everyone, everywhere has the right to a life free from slavery. Over 10, were identified as potential victims by the authorities in the UK in Join us for freedom Everyone, everywhere, should have the freedom to make safe, dignified choices about their lives.

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