'Independent India' and its 13 Million Slaves

Bangalore: Slavery, a system under which people are treated as property -bought and sold, and are forced to work, existed since the time immemorial. Today, there are still an estimated of almost 30 million slaves worldwide in spite of its illegalities in every country. According to a global slavery index recently released, many of the victims who are trafficked by gangs for sex work, unskilled labour, are often -victims of debt bondage --. Out of the 162 countries surveyed by Walk Free, an Australian-based rights group, almost half are reported in India, where slavery ranges from forced labour in factories to commercial sex exploitation, reports Timothy Large for Reuters.

It is also found that 10 countries including India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh accounted for 76 percent of the 29.8 million people living in slavery. The index further defined modern slavery as human trafficking, forced labour, and practices such as debt bondage, forced marriage, and the sale or exploitation of children.

The report said, “Today some people are still being born into hereditary slavery, a staggering but harsh reality, particularly in parts of West Africa and South Asia,” reports Reuters.

"Other victims are captured or kidnapped before being sold or kept for exploitation, whether through 'marriage', unpaid labour on fishing boats, or as domestic workers. Others are tricked and lured into situations they cannot escape, with false promises of a good job or an education," the report added.

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