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As International Labour Day, 1 May, focuses the world's attention
on labour issues, millions of women, children and men are enslaved
around the world.
From entire families forced into bonded labour in South Asia's
agriculture, to girls as young as five trafficked to work as domestics
across West Africa, and women from eastern Europe forced into the
UK's sex industry, slavery continues to deny millions of people
their most fundamental human rights.
Human trafficking is the fastest growing form of slavery today.
At least 700,000 women, children and men around the world are affected
by this abuse, forced by deception, coercion and threats or use
of violence into slavery. Men are trafficked from Russia to farms
in southern Europe, women from Nigeria are trafficked into brothels
in Italy, and young boys from Bangladesh are trafficked and forced
to ride camels in the United Arab Emirates.
"It is vital not only for these abuses to be stopped and
the perpetrators punished, but for laws to be developed that protect
the rights of victims of trafficking and for governments to provide
the support they need to recover from this abuse", David
Ould Deputy Director of Anti-Slavery International said.
Anti-Slavery International's current campaign is against human
trafficking. For more about the problem, see: www.
antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/trafficking.htm
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