The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, held on December 2, highlighted international efforts to end slavery in all its manifestations. Gobal reports confirm that around 50 million people worldwide are enslaved in modern forms such forced labor, marriage, and child recruitment in armed wars.
According to the International Labour Organization, 28 million people are forced to work and 22 million are pushed into marriages, pointing out that 10 million more individuals lived in these conditions in the five years to 2021 than in 2016, highlighting the problem’s growing magnitude despite efforts.
Statistics show that 80% of forced laborers are children, and over half are commercially sexually exploited. Women and girls are the majority of those affected by forced marriage and labor, highlighting the complexities of combating these practises.
Despite the global prevalence of modern slavery, middle- and high-income countries experience the greatest rates of forced labor and marriage. International attempts to end forced labor have been strengthened by a binding legislative treaty from 2016.
The UN also commemorates the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery to emphasize the need to end this human rights violation and the obstacles communities confront in doing so.
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is a chance to reaffirm the worldwide commitment to ending all forms of contemporary slavery and establishing a more just and human rights-respecting future.
