ATEST Commends Release of New Estimates on Forced Labor and Modern Slavery
Yesterday, the International Labor Organization (ILO), in partnership with the Walk Free Foundation (with collaboration from the International Organization for Migration), issued an updated global estimate of forced labor and modern slavery that enhances our knowledge of the scale and characteristics of this global scourge. The new figures, 40.3 million people in modern slavery, and 24.9 million in the sub-category of forced labor, demonstrate once again the vast scope of this crime, and the challenge faced by those who seek to eradicate it. The ILO is using the term modern slavery as an umbrella that encompasses a variety of forms of coercion, including forced labor, human trafficking, forced marriage, slavery, and institutions and practices similar to slavery.
ATEST commends the release of the new estimates and the important work that helped develop them, and urges policymakers and the public to take heed of the tremendous volume of human suffering captured within these numbers. Now more than ever, bold action is needed to deploy the resources and expertise needed to take on the challenge of ending modern slavery.
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The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking is a U.S.-based coalition that advocates for solutions to prevent and end all forms of human trafficking and modern slavery around the world. ATEST member organizations include: Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), ECPAT-USA, Free the Slaves, Futures Without Violence (FUTURES), International Justice Mission, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), National Network for Youth (NN4Y), Polaris, Safe Horizon, Solidarity Center, Verité, and Vital Voices Global Partnership. ATEST is a project of Humanity United and Humanity United Action. www.EndSlaveryandTrafficking.org