The third Global Slavery Index for 2016 has revealed that an estimated 45.8 million men, women and children around the world are today trapped in modern slavery – 28% more than previously estimated.
According to the findings conducted on 167 most populous countries and released on Tuesday, Nigeria ranks 23 in 2016,
The flagship research report published by the Walk Free Foundation observed that the 45.8 population are enslaved through human trafficking, forced labour, debt bondage, forced or servile marriage or commercial sexual exploitation.
The 2016 estimate is an increase on the estimate provided in the previous edition of the Index. As efforts to measure this hidden crime are relatively new, it is premature to assert that modern slavery has increased in the intervening period.
SlaveryIndeed, the results from Global Slavery Index website, quoting Walk Free Foundation, the national surveys reveal a mixed picture, with increases in some national estimates and decreases in others. For example, the national survey in Bangladesh resulted in an estimate of 1.5 million people in modern slavery, an increase from the previous estimate of 680,900 people. Similarly, the national survey in Myanmar led to an increase in the estimate-from 231,600 in 2014 to 500,000 in this edition.