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Today, an estimated 40.3 million people are trapped in modern slavery worldwide, with approximately 1 in 4 of them being young children.
Modern slavery is the severe exploitation of others for personal or commercial gain. It is an umbrella term for all forms of slavery, human trafficking and exploitation that occurs today. However, certain industries are more at risk of modern slavery than others.
In fact, approximately 64% of people trapped in forced labour are exploited in the private sector, including domestic work. According to the International Labour Organisation, there are currently over 67 million domestic workers worldwide with 80% of them being women. These workers often work excessive hours, earn little income and can be vulnerable to different forms of abuse, including mental, sexual or physical abuse.
Another vulnerable sector is the construction industry. An estimated 7% of the global workforce works in construction building offices, homes and other infrastructure. A shockingly large proportion of these people do not do this out of free will; they are forced to partake in hard, manual labour and are deprived of freedom.
Forced labour is also prevalent in the agricultural sector. Workers in agricultural sectors such as cotton, coffee and tobacco, often work long hours harvesting everyday products for very little pay. They work in dangerous environments and can be at risk of long-term medical conditions.
In the manufacturing industry, workers are often coerced into working long hours with high production targets. If they do not reach these targets, workers are at risk of physical abuse, not being paid or illegal dismissal.
Many industries are at risk of forced labour – we’ve only named a few.
Is your industry one of them?
To learn how you can prevent modern slavery in your business, get in touch with Ethixbase360 today.
