Cape Town - An estimated 45.8 million people around the world are today trapped in modern slavery, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index.
These forms of slavery include human trafficking, forced labour, debt bondage, forced or servile marriage or commercial sexual exploitation.
Published by the Walk Free Foundation, an initiative which aims to end modern slavery, the index estimates that 28% more people are enslaved than reported in the 2014 edition.
This significant increase is attributed to enhanced data collection and research methodology.
The latest index used survey information from over 42 000 interviews conducted in 53 languages across 25 countries. These representative surveys cover 44% of the global population.
It found that sub-Saharan Africa accounted for approximately 13.6%, or 6 245 800, of the world’s total enslaved population.
From surveys conducted in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Ethiopia by the Foundation, slavery in Sub-Saharan Africa was found to take the form of forced labour and forced marriage.
And in South Africa, the industries most reported in the survey include the commercial sex industry, manual labour industries such as construction, manufacturing and factory work, and drug trafficking.
Walk Free Foundation founder and chair Andrew Forrest said eradicating slavery makes sense, morally, politically, logically and economically, and called on the governments of the world’s leading economies to provide an example to others by enacting and implementing robust anti-slavery measures.
“Leaders of the world’s major economies must bring the power of business to this issue, by requiring a focus on supply chain transparency.
“Businesses that don’t actively look for forced labour within their supply chains are standing on a burning platform. Business leaders who refuse to look into the realities of their own supply chains are misguided and irresponsible.”
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said decent working regulations would need to be enforced by government.
“The reality is that there are still many forms of slavery. The labour market must be regulated.”
He said those in trade agreements with South Africa, should be made to comply with minimum employment standards.
“It is a problem and government must act more decisively. We also need the emergence of strong unions.”
@lisa_isaacs
Cape Times