A new United Nations report finds nearly one in every 150 people on Earth are trapped in situations of modern slavery on any given day — either compelled to work against their will or in a marriage that they were forced into. The director-general of the International Labour Organization, Guy Rider, announced the findings on Monday.
Guy Ryder: “That’s an extraordinary figure in this day and age, that there are, you know, 27.6 million people compelled to work. And the even worse news is this represents an increase over our previous estimates, which were published in 2017, an increase of 2.7 million.”
The ILO says a further 22 million people around the globe are in forced marriages. The report notes, “Entrapment in forced labour can last years, while in most cases forced marriage is a life sentence.”