Australia-based human rights group Walk Free Foundation’s survey.
By Sreekanth A. Nair
The third Global Slavery Index (GSI) published by Australia-based human rights group Walk Free Foundation has revealed that India is the country having the highest number of people living under the conditions of modern day slavery.
India has been ranked fourth in the world with about 1.4 percent of population – that is 18.3 million people – are living under the conditions of modern day slavery. People working in areas such as domestic work, construction, farming, fishing, manual labor, forced begging, and in the sex industry are prone to such conditions.
China (3.39 m), Pakistan (2.13 m), Bangladesh (1.53 m) and Uzbekistan (1.23 m) are the countries standing next to India in terms of the number of people. But, in terms of the proportion of population India stands fourth in the list, followed by Qatar. North Korea, Uzbekistan, Cambodia are the top countries having the highest proportion.
This estimate is based on data from nationally representative, random sample surveys conducted in 25 countries. In India, the survey was conducted in 15 states covering 80 percent of the population. 14000 people were interviewed in the survey.
According to the report, slavery is a situation where “a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, and coercion, abuse of power or deception, with treatment akin to a farm animal.” Human trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage, forced or servile marriage, and the sale and exploitation of children also come under this category.
“The prevalence of slavery severely affects the country’s attractiveness as an investment destination. As an international investor, I run to places and look at macroeconomic indicators before making investment decisions. A government committed against slavery would definitely figure high up on my investment list,” Andrew Forrest, Founder and Chairman of Walk Free Foundation, told The Economic Times.
The report said that despite the efforts taken by the Indian government, some areas remain to be of concern.
“While many impressive efforts are being taken by the Indian Government to address the vulnerability, survey data suggest that domestic work, construction, farming, fishing, manual labor and the sex industry remain sectors of concern,” the report said.
The study further noted that Asian countries account for two-third of the total number of people in modern slavery.
“Asia, the most populous region in the world, has an estimated two-thirds of the total number of people in modern slavery. This region provides low-skilled labor for the production stage of global supply chains for industries including food production, garments, and technology,” the study said.