According to a new report, there are 50 million people who are subject to modern slavery, a 25% increase over the previous five years. It claims that the Group of 20 countries are responsible for this rise in human rights violations because of their trade activities and interconnected global supply chains. India tops the list of G20 countries with 11 million forced labourers, followed by China, Russia, Indonesia, Turkey, and the United States.

On May 24, the rights organisation Walk Free Foundation published the Global Slavery Index 2023, a review of the state of modern slavery in 160 nations. The index demonstrates how "modern slavery is hidden in plain sight" using data made public by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Walk Free, and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) last year. As India holds the G20 presidency this year, with a focus on sustainable development and climate change mitigation, the data becomes more important.

According to estimates, 50 million people were subject to modern slavery on any given day in 2021. Although there isn't a single, widely accepted definition of modern slavery, it encompasses all forms of forced labour, forced marriage, debt bondage, commercial sexual exploitation, human trafficking, slavery-like behaviours, and the sale and exploitation of children. It also refers to any circumstance in which a person is prevented from refusing or leaving due to threats, violence, coercion, or deception.

As per  reports, the practise has increased in popularity over the previous five years as factors including Covid-19, armed conflict, weak governance, and climate change have worked to restrict people's freedom. More than half of all people living in modern slavery are found in G20 countries; as a result, conditions for forced labour have gotten worse thanks to imports worth $468 billion of products like electronics, textiles, palm oil, and solar panels from countries with weak worker protection.

From the sourcing of raw materials to manufacturing, packaging, and shipping, the production and movement of commodities between countries produces complicated and opaque supply chains, many of which are polluted by forced labour.

worldwide supply chains: The Australian group evaluated national-level vulnerability and used survivor interviews obtained through nationally representative household surveys of 75 nations to measure the circumstances of slavery. A nation's susceptibility was determined by a number of factors, including political instability, inequality, a lack of basic necessities, criminal justice systems, internal conflicts, and displacement.

Despite the fact that world leaders set a goal to eradicate modern slavery, forced labour, and human trafficking by 2030, the research said that "the significant increase in the number of people living in modern slavery and stagnant government action highlight that this goal is even further from being achieved." Compounding challenges, including "more complex armed conflicts, widespread environmental degradation, assaults on democracy in many countries, a global rollback of women's rights, and the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic," are to blame for the increase of 10 million individuals. All nations have forced labour, which is "closely related to demand from higher-income countries."

The "disaggregated data from G20 countries" demonstrate not just the prevalence of forced labour in these regions but also its manifestations at every stage of the global supply chain, according to Sandeep , executive director of ActionAid India.

Consider the textile sector, where reports detail forced and unpaid labour, dangers to one's health and safety, low pay, a lack of benefits (such maternity leave), and debt bondage. For instance, the "Sumangali" scheme in Tamil Nadu has come under fire for forcing women and girls from underserved areas to work in spinning mills under abusive conditions. The report states that the G20 countries are already buying $148 billion worth of clothing products and $13 billion worth of textiles that may have been manufactured using forced labour annually.

Gold, electronics, palm oil, and solar panels are among "at risk" products where "forced labour, trafficking, and the worst forms of child labour" are encouraged in order to cut costs and meet global demand.

"It's crucial to understand that modern slavery conditions are by no means temporary; they can persist for years or, in the case of forced marriage, be a life sentence. This is significant from the standpoint of bringing it up in the discussion of global policy and action, especially at the G20 table, according to Mr. . He continues by saying that India has expressed a "ambition" to accelerate the integration of MSMEs in international trade, as well as to advance labour rights and ensure labour welfare, and that as a result, it may take advantage of its status.

"Although [China and India] have experienced tremendous growth, which has led to an increase in manufacturing and exports from these two nations, both of them also provide a sizable market for western businesses and corporations. The two nations can utilise this leverage to ensure that businesses do not have different standards for workers at the two ends of supply chains during trade negotiations, according to Mr. . "We need south-south cooperation to combat modern slavery practises, which can put an end to the race to the bottom of labour rights for luring in foreign investment." More value chain transparency, social protection for workers at every stage, and holding businesses accountable under international and bilateral free trade agreements are all necessary for this.

The Walk Free report urges governments and businesses to adopt tougher regulations and laws that bar them from obtaining products and services that are connected to modern slavery. Other recommendations include including anti-slavery measures in sustainability strategies for combating climate change, giving kids access to basic and secondary education, and tightening laws regarding forced and child marriage.

The position of India on contemporary slavery: The Bonded Labour Abolition Act of 1976 was enacted in India and forbids the use of forced labour and bonded labour. It also specifies that state governments are responsible for setting up vigilance committees. Contract and migratory employees were added to the Act in a 1985 amendment. Additionally, India has a Central Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labour, a component of which is to provide the person who has been rescued with financial support (the 2016 amendment raised the amount of money).

The Supreme Court has previously held that failure to pay the minimum wage violates Article 23 of the Constitution by constituting "forced labour." However, campaigners have seen issues with law enforcement due to fraud, indifference, legal flaws, and a lack of political will. As an example, the 1976 Act is used to punish offenders but is "neither the best way to address exploitation nor to achieve SDG 8.7 [ending forced labour and modern slavery] as it frequently results in hurting the very poor and vulnerable sections of society that it is meant to protect," a group of 50 people wrote in a letter to the government in 2017. Some individuals are also worried that India's new labour laws, which have not yet been put into effect, could "legally sanction" forced labour by lengthening working hours and reducing social security benefits for both organised and unorganised sector employees.

Also, it's important to property identify and count those who are trapped in contemporary slavery. The last nationwide survey of bonded labour in India was completed in the middle of the 1990s; states like Tamil Nadu have started plans for one.

The rehabilitation of bonded workers is often hampered by documentation issues. Additionally, the financial assistance provided is significantly insufficient ($30,000) and does not address providing for education or job security. Mr.  also points out that financial aid is put off or never begins because rehabilitation can only occur once the perpetrator has been found guilty in court. "We must separate the prosecution of those charged with enforcing forced labour from the rehabilitation process." 

Reconstruction, according to experts, should come first because the climate issue is putting millions of people in risky positions by depleting resources, escalating poverty, and limiting access to health and education. Indigenous tribes, fishermen, and farmers in states like West Bengal and Odisha are victims of human trafficking, debt slavery, and mass eviction, according to mounting evidence, and they should receive fair recompense.

It is said, the G20 countries' strict laws and accountability must be balanced with the empowerment of the "protagonists of vulnerable communities" who live and work in precarity. "Rights of access to public goods, which include food, shelter, education, and health, as well as the right to access global commons and decent work," is the key to preventing forced labour, according to the UN.

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