50 million in modern slavery – UN

According to a report by two UN agencies, the number of people in forced labor or marriages increased by 10 million between 2016 and 2021. Climate change and the coronavirus pandemic are contributing factors.

A UN report said that there were around 50 million people in ‘modern slavery’ in 2021

Some 50 million people are trapped in forced labor or forced marriage, a United Nations study published on Monday found.

The study, by two UN agencies and the Walk Free Foundation, found that the amount of those trapped in modern slavery has increased in recent years.

The study found that at the end of last year, 28 million people were in forced labor. Some 22 million were living in forced marriages.

The number of people trapped in forced labor or marriage increased by 10 million between 2016 and 2021.

“It is shocking that the situation of modern slavery is not improving,” the UN’s labor agency (ILO) head Guy Ryder said in a statement.