International Day for The Abolition Of Slavery 2021: All you need to about forms of modern slavery that still persist
To raise awareness about their plight and eliminate contemporary forms of slavery, International Day for The Abolition Of Slavery is marked on 2 December annually.
Representational image. Reuters
Millions of people are still trapped in contemporary forms of slavery such as forced marriage, trafficking, sexual exploitation and so on. To raise awareness about their plight and eliminate contemporary forms of slavery, International Day for The Abolition Of Slavery is marked on 2 December annually.
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in a message highlighted the immense suffering of millions of African men, women and children who were victims of the transatlantic slave trade and said that the racist legacy of slavery persists to date.
“We honour the resilience of those who endured and pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the universal quest for freedom,” he added. Guterres underlined the forms of slavery that continue to shadow the modern world and said that women and girls from minority groups are among the most vulnerable of all.
As the world marks the day today, here are some of the main forms of modern slavery that are still prevalent in society:
Trafficking
Trafficking in persons means when, for the purpose of exploitation, a person is recruited, transferred, or transported by threat, force or other forms of coercion Exploitation majorly includes forced labour and other forms of sexual exploitation.
Forced labour
There are several victims of contemporary forms of forced labour across the globe such as migrant labourers who have been trafficked for economic exploitation. These people work in the agriculture sector, domestic servitude, construction industry, food and garment industry and so on.
Child labour
Every government across the world is working to curb child labour. Yet millions of children are forced to work for their survival in extremely hazardous environments. These conditions go against the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The world has made major progress in curbing slavery and its forms, but still, there are several people who are victims of it. Over 40 million people across the globe are victims of modern slavery and over 150 million children are victims of child labour.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) in November 2016 adopted a new legally binding Protocol designed to strengthen worldwide efforts of eliminating forced labour.