ISLAMABAD – According to the Global Slavery Index 2018, Pakistan is listedas the 8th worst country for modern slavery. The report was prepared bythe human rights group Walk Free Foundation, highlighting the factors andconditions that prevent people from going about their lives normally.
Researchers who compiled the index included factors such as a repressiveregime and conflicts to arrive at their conclusions.
Among the 167 countries included in the global survey, North Korea wasranked the worst country in terms of slavery. The report also puts Pakistanamongst the top 10 countries where modern slavery is most prevalent:
Many of the countries with the highest estimated levels of prevalence aremarked by conflict – Eritrea, Burundi, Central African Republic,Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Pakistan all appear among the 10 countrieswith highest prevalence.
The report also takes a look at continents and how they rank vis-a-visincidents of modern slavery. Africa has been deemed the worst when it comesto slavery, followed by Asia.
Furthermore, about 40.3 million people were reported to be affected bymodern slavery as of 2016, out of which 71% were women. 15.4 million people(mostly girls) faced a forced marriage. As for the number of people whowere forced into labor, the index puts their number at 24.9 million.
According to the report, the countries with the highest ratios of modernslavery are as follows:
1. North Korea 2. Eritrea 3. Burundi 4. the Central African Republic 5. Afghanistan 6. Mauritania 7. South Sudan 8. Pakistan 9. Cambodia 10. Iran
The person who headed the Index’s data collection team, Fiona David, hadthis to say regarding the government’s role in contributing to modernslavery: