2024-03-19 20:00:42
This content was published on March 20, 2024 – 05:00
(Keystone-ATS) Illegal revenues linked to forced labor worldwide reach $236 billion per year. In ten years, they have increased by 64 billion, or more than a third, deplores the International Labor Organization (ILO) in a report Tuesday in Geneva.
More people are falling victim to this problem and the gains from this exploitation are themselves greater. About ten years ago, trafficking brought criminals more than $8,200 per victim. Now, this figure is closer to $10,000.
By region, Europe and Central Asia come first. They bring together nearly 85 billion in illegal income, ahead of Asia/Pacific at 62 billion, the American continent at more than 50 billion, Africa at 20 billion and the Arab States at 18 billion. They are also first in the ratio of profits per victim, ahead of the Arab States.
Forced sexual exploitation constitutes two thirds of total illegal income, even though it accounts for only a little more than a third of victims of forced labor. This difference is explained by the value of sex trafficking to criminals. Each person brings in more than 27,000 dollars, compared to only more than 3,500 for other forced workers.
In 2021, 27.6 million people experienced this problem on any given day. They “are subject to multiple forms of coercion, with deliberate and systematic withholding of wages being one of the most common,” says ILO Director General Gilbert Houngbo.
“The international community must urgently unite” in the face of this situation, to protect workers’ rights, he adds. And the report, which focuses on the private sector, calls for extending the system to combat forced labor and prosecuting those responsible.
1710908031
#Forced #labor #brings #billion #year
