Global Courant 2023-05-24 09:45:35
North Korea, Eritrea and Mauritania have the highest prevalence of modern slavery in the world, according to the 2023 Global Slavery Index, which notes a “deteriorating” situation worldwide since the last survey five years earlier.
According to the report, published Wednesday, an estimated 50 million people will be living in situations of modern slavery by 2021, an increase of 10 million from 2016, when the problem was last measured.
The figure includes about 28 million people in forced labor and 22 million living in forced marriage.
The 10 countries with the highest prevalence of modern slavery share some common features, including “limited protection of civil liberties and human rights”.
Many of the countries are located in “unstable” regions experiencing conflict or political instability, or with a large population of “vulnerable people” such as refugees or migrant workers.
The top 10 worldwide also included Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, where the labor rights of migrant workers are restricted by the “kafala” sponsorship system.