Global Slavery Index: India And China Top The List

The Global Slavery Index documents the forced labor of nearly 30 million people. The index is researched and published by the Walk Free Foundation of Australia. The organization strives to raise awareness about modern slavery.

The index includes debt bondage, sex trafficking, forced marriage, and forced labor. It was compiled using data collected over a period of 10 years. The research team included four authors and 22 expert advisers. The organization was founded by billionaire Andrew Forrest

In terms of absolute numbers, India, China, Pakistan, and Nigeria, top the list. However, the index is organized according to prevalence. In order of prevalence, Maruitania, Haiti, and Pakistan top the Global Slavery Index.

As reported by GlobalSlaveryIndex.org, the West African nation of Mauritania has the highest percentage of slavery world-wide. The high numbers are attributed to hereditary slavery, forced marriage among children, and human trafficking. Up to 160,000 Mauritania residents are enslaved.

The Caribbean nation of Haiti comes in second in the index. In Haiti, forced child labor is a historical tradition called restavek. The system is responsible for a majority of the nation’s enslaved. Child marriage and human trafficking are also included in the estimated 220,000 enslaved residents.

In India, an estimated 14 million people are enslaved. Researchers found that a number of Indian slaves are actually foreign nationals. However, the majority of those enslaved are citizens if India. Most of India’s slavery includes bonded labor and debt bondage.

Researchers estimate close to 3 million residents of China are enslaved. In China, men, women, and children, are exploited through domestic servitude, forced begging, forced marriage, and sex trafficking.

The Global Slavery Index is critical in providing intervention. By identifying nations with the most need, the organization strives to systematically end modern slavery.

The organization’s intervention plan includes partnerships with government officials, business owners, and citizens. The Global Slavery Index is the first step in the initiative.

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