Modern slavery

There are more people on Earth enslaved right now than at any point in history. Having said that, the *proportion* of the population that is enslaved is lower than at any point since the appearance of agriculture.

The last country to abolish slavery was Mauritania in 1981. They didn’t bother making it a crime until 2007.

Chad only criminalised slavery in 2017.

• https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/02/women-slavery-history-south-book-review.html
• https://archive.is/MpBsB
• https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-trafficking-sexcrimes/in-thai-tourist-spots-a-hidden-world-of-male-sex-slavery-idUSKBN1J91GU
• https://history.com/news/white-women-slaveowners-they-were-her-property
• https://archive.is/bVUGz

The widespread claim that 71% of slaves are female includes forced marriage.

As of 2023 50 million people remain enslaved world-wide. That's more than at any point in history. Lower as a proportion of the population.

Thai fishing fleets.

Forced labour of men finally banned in 2014.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_abolition_of_slavery_and_serfdom

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/six-years-trapped-at-sea-i-was-beaten-with-barbed-stingray-tails-and-scalded-by-boiling-water/ar-AA1bfMtr

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/there-are-50-million-modern-slaves-in-the-world-this-is-how-they-re-exploited/ar-AA1bB3wf

As of 2023 the United Nations estimates that 27.6 million people are in forced labour. Of those 15.8 million are male and 11.8 million are female. Even the UN notes that men in forced labour are far more likely to be coerced through threats of violence that women.

• • • Slavery of men during the modern era.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/11/british-boys-risk-modern-slavery-study-teenagers

See Also

• Historical slavery