Over 300,000 people in Tanzania are slaves
On a global scale, the study found that nearly 30 million people worldwide are slaves. India has the highest number of people living in slavery conditions at 14 million. PHOTO|FILE
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“Those governments that want to engage with us, we will be very open to engaging and looking at ways in which we can better measure the issue of modern slavery.”
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has the highest number of people said to be living in slavery in the five East African Community member states. The Global Slavery Index 2013 reports that between 310,000 to 350,000 people here live like slaves, the highest number in the region. It is ranked 29th out of 162 sampled countries.
Uganda, with between 240,000-270,000 people living in slavery, is second in the EAC in terms of numbers but ranks ahead of Tanzania in position 25 due to a lower population. The study released on Thursday says there are 47.78 million Tanzanians while there are 36.34 million Ugandans.
Rwanda, at position 43, has the third highest number of victims at between 74,000 to 84,000. At number 41, Burundi is ranked two positions ahead of Rwanda with 68,000 to 75,000 enslaved people. Kenya is ranked at position 102, the lowest in the EAC and with 36,000 to 39,000 people in slavery.
Modern-day slavery includes human trafficking, domestic servitude, debt bondage, forced begging, sexual exploitation of women and children and forced marriage.
On a global scale, the study found that nearly 30 million people worldwide are slaves. India has the highest number of people living in slavery conditions at 14 million. But Mauritania has the highest proportional figure, with about four per cent of its population in bondage.
The authors of the report hope it will help governments tackle what they call a “hidden crime.” The index was compiled by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation. “A lot of governments won’t like hearing what we have to say,” Chief Executive Nick Grono told the French news agency Agence France-Presse. “Those governments that want to engage with us, we will be very open to engaging and looking at ways in which we can better measure the issue of modern slavery.”
The organisation’s estimate of 29.8 million slaves worldwide is higher than other attempts to quantify modern slavery. The International Labour Organisation estimates that almost 21 million people are victims of forced labour. India, China, Pakistan and Nigeria reportedly have the highest numbers of people enslaved. Together with five other countries, they account for three-quarters of the total estimated number of people in modern slavery worldwide.
India’s ranking was mostly due to the exploitation of Indian citizens within the country itself. The highest proportion of slaves is in Mauritania, with many people inheriting slave status from their ancestors. Haiti is second in the index and Pakistan is third.
The new survey has the backing of high profile personalities such as former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair.According to Associated Press, Ms Clinton is reported to have said that although the index was not perfect, it provided a starting point. “I urge leaders around the world to view this index as a call to action,” she added, “and to stay focused on the work of responding to this crime.”
