28 Million People Are Still in Forced Labor Today

Earlier this year, the people of Indonesia were shocked to learn that a district head in North Sumatra has a private prison to keep his workers behind bars. Meanwhile in Thailand, the struggles remain to eradicate slavery in its fishing industry. In this era of development, how many people are still entrapped by slavery?

The Antithesis of Sustainability

“Modern slavery is the antithesis of sustainable development,” said Grace Forrest, the Founding Director of Walk Free. It is a complete disregard for human rights; no compassion and respect for other human beings. The latest report by the International Labour Organization, Walk Free, and the International Organization for Migration states that 50 million people were still trapped under modern slavery in 2021.

The report titled “Global Estimates of Modern Slavery” examines the state of modern slavery worldwide, comprised of forced labor and forced marriage. Both refer to “situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or cannot leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, or abuse of power.”

Out of 50 million, 28 million were in forced labor. There is a 2.7 million increase between 2016 and 2021, primarily driven by forced labor in the private economy. The private economy accounts for 86% of the forced labor cases, which can be divided further into issues of forced commercial sexual exploitation (23%) and other sectors (63%).

Pathways to End Modern Slavery

Whether or not we have to address modern slavery is no longer a question. We must do better through collaborations. The report offers the key instruments necessary for ending forced labor, among them are:

Respect for the freedoms of workers to associate and to bargain collectively. These are fundamental rights for workers to defend their shared vision and bargain for decent work.
Extend social protection, including floors, to all workers and their families. Social protection can act as a safety net for workers by providing them with basic income security. This way, workers can say no to abusive jobs and quit when necessary.
Combat forced labor and trafficking for forced labor in business operations and supply chains. Focusing on identifying, prioritizing, and acting on spots with a severe risk of forced labor and human rights abuses.
Partnership and international cooperation. Ending forced labor is an enormous and complex case to be addressed solely by a single party. International support for financing and resource mobilization is one of the key ingredients of broader cooperation and partnership against forced labor.

Justice and Human Rights

In their article on seafood slavery, researchers Sallie Yea and Wayne Palmer stated that the efforts to eradicate seafood slavery have not quite hit the bull’s eye.

“The main responses to seafood slavery have centred on trying to improve supply chain transparency rather than focusing on justice itself, such as securing compensation for the fishers, supporting them through the legal process and effectively criminalising traffickers,” they said.

Ultimately, ending modern slavery in all sectors is about respecting the inherent rights of every human being, that people deserve to work decent jobs with decent hours and decent pay without sacrificing their physical and mental health.

Kresentia Madina

Reporter at Green Network Asia | Website | + posts

Madina is the Assistant Manager of Stakeholder Engagement at Green Network Asia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Studies from Universitas Indonesia. As part of the GNA In-House Team, she supports the organization's multi-stakeholder engagement across international organizations, governments, businesses, civil society, and grassroots communities through digital publications, events, capacity building, and research.