20 richest countries account for over half of 50 million people in 'modern slavery': Report
United Nations(AP/PTI): The world's 20 richest countries are fuelling forced labour and account for over half the estimated 50 million people living in "modern slavery," according to a report released Wednesday.
The report by the Walk Free foundation, a rights group that focuses on modern slavery, said six members of the Group of 20 nations have the largest number of people in modern slavery either in forced labour or forced marriage.
India tops the list with 11 million followed by China with 5.8 million, Russia with 1.9 million, Indonesia with 1.8 million, Turkey with 1.3 million and the United States with 1.1 million.
"Most of the countries with lowest prevalence of modern slavery Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Ireland, Japan, and Finland are also members of the G20," the report said.
"Yet, even in these countries, thousands of people continue to be forced to work or marry, despite their high levels of economic development, gender equality, social welfare, and political stability, as well as strong criminal justice systems."
Last September, a report by the U.N.'s International Labour Organization and International Organization for Migration and Walk Free estimated that 50 million people were living in "modern slavery" 28 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriage - at the end of 2021. That was a 10 million increase in just five years from the end of 2016.
"Modern slavery permeates every aspect of our society," Walk Free Founding Director Grace Forrest said in a statement. "It is woven through our clothes, lights up our electronics and seasons our food" and it "is a mirror held to power, reflecting who in any given society has it and who does not."
This is most evident in global supply chains, where G20 nations import 468 million worth of products annually considered "at risk" of being produced by forced labor including electronics, garments, palm oil, solar panels and textiles, the report said.
Australia-based Walk Free said its 172-page report and estimates of global slavery in 160 countries draw on thousands of interviews with survivors collected through nationally representative household surveys and its assessments of a nation's vulnerability.
It said the increase of nearly 10 million people forced to work or marry reflects the impact of compounding crises "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."
These factors have significantly disrupted education and employment, leading to increases in extreme poverty and forced and unsafe migration, "which together heighten the risk of all forms of modern slavery," the report said.
The countries with the highest prevalence of modern slavery at the end of 2021 were North Korea, Eritrea, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, it said.
The report stressed that forced labour occurs in every country, across many sectors and at every stage of the supply chain. It cited the demands for fast fashion and seafood as spurring forced labour that was hidden deep in those industries, while "the worst forms of child labour are used to farm and harvest the cocoa beans that end up in chocolate."
And while the United Kingdom, Australia, Netherlands, Portugal and United States were noted for having strong government responses to combat slavery, the report said those improvements were fewer and weaker than required.
"Most G20 governments are still not doing enough to ensure that modern slavery is not involved in the production of goods imported into their countries and within the supply chains of companies they do business with," it said.
In 2015, one of the U.N. goals adopted by world leaders was to end modern slavery, forced labor and human trafficking by 2030. But Walk Free said the significant increase in the number of people living in modern slavery and stagnating government action highlight that this goal is even further from being achieved.
"Walk Free is calling on governments around the world to step up their efforts to end modern slavery on their shores and in their supply chains," director Forest said. "What we need now is political will." (AP)
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2 Indians killed, 10 injured in drone attack on Oman's industrial hub of Sohar
New Delhi (PTI): Two Indian nationals were killed and 10 others injured in a drone strike in Oman's Sohar city on Friday that marked the first Indian fatalities on land since the Iran-US conflict erupted on February 28.
Joint secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs Aseem Mahajan confirmed the killing of the two Indians in Oman at an inter-ministerial media briefing on the crisis in West Asia.
He also said that 150,000 Indian nationals have returned to India from West Asia after the conflict began.
"I wish to share with you an incident that happened in Sohar city today. There was an attack and in this incident two Indian nationals have died," he said.
"We express our deepest condolences to their families. Of the 11 injured (in the attack), 10 are Indians. Out of them, five have been discharged after receiving treatment, and five others are receiving treatment in local hospitals," Mahajan said.
"None of them is reported to have serious injuries. Our mission is in close touch with the concerned company and local authorities and is rendering all assistance," he said.
While Mahajan did not provide specific details of the attack, the Oman News Agency (ONA) reported that two drones crashed in Sohar, with one hitting the Al Awhi Industrial Zone and claiming the lives of the two expatriate workers.
These latest casualties brought the total number of Indian fatalities in the West Asia conflict to five. While the strike in Oman marked the first deaths on land, three Indian sailors have previously been killed in attacks on merchant vessels since the conflict erupted on February 28.
In the last few days, India has ramped up its diplomatic efforts to ensure safety and security of 10 million Indian nationals living in West Asia.
India has also been making efforts to secure safe passage for over 20 Indian-flagged merchant vessels currently stationed on either side of the Strait of Hormuz.
In his remarks, Mahajan also said that 15 Indian crew members of the US-owned oil tanker Safesea Vishnu were safely evacuated to a hotel in Basra city.
The tanker came under attack near Basra in Iraq on Wednesday. An Indian crew member was killed in the attack.
Efforts were underway to transport the mortal remains of the deceased to India , he said.
Mahajan said the Indian mission in Basra is also trying to ensure safe repatriation of the 15 Indian crew members to India.
The senior official said 150,000 Indian nationals returned from West Asia.
Around 2,900 Indians returned from Qatar in Qatar Airways flights over the past few days, and 1,000 Indians who returned from Bahrain.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 117 Indian nationals have crossed over to Armenia from Iran through land border crossings and several of them have returned to India already.
We told all sides to adopt the path of dioplomacy and dialogue to resolve it the conflict as soon as possible, he said at the briefing.
We are also talking to BRICS member states so that a consensus evolves on this issue, he said.
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