A new report claiming to be the most comprehensive look
at global slavery says 30 million people are living as slaves
around the world.
The Global Slavery Index, published by the Australia-based
Walk Free Foundation, lists India as the country with by far
the most slaves, with an estimated nearly 14 million,
followed by China (2.9 million) and Pakistan (2.1 million).
The top 10 countries on its list of shame accounted for
more than three quarters of the 29.8 million people living
in slavery, with Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh
completing the list.
In terms of countries with the highest of proportion of
slaves, Mauritania in West Africa topped the table, with
about 4% of its 3.4 million people enslaved, followed by
Haiti, Pakistan, India and Nepal.
READ MORE: Mauritania -- Slavery's last stronghold
The index, whose authors claim it contains the most
authoritative data on slavery conditions worldwide, is the
product of Australian mining magnate and philanthropist
Andrew Forrest's commitment to stamp out global slavery.
Forrest, ranked by Forbes as Australia's fifth richest man,
with an estimated net worth of $5.7 billion, adopted the
cause after his daughter volunteered in an orphanage in
Nepal in 2008, coming into contact with child sex
trafficking victims.
Forrest is a signatory to the Giving
Pledge started by billionaire investor Warren Buffett,
whose members commit to donating at least half their
wealth to philanthropic causes.
The index, which draws on 10 years of research into
slavery conditions around the world and was produced by a
team of 4 authors supported by 22 other experts and
advisers, is the inaugural edition of what will be an annual
report into slavery.
It ranks 162 countries according to the
number of people living in slavery, the risk of enslavement
and the robustness of government responses to the
problem.
Walk Free policy and research manager Gina Dafalia told
CNN the report was intended to shine a spotlight on the
issue, and quantify the extent of the problem in different
countries before programs were put in place to tackle the
problem.
So far, she said, Walk Free -- and its partners
Humanity United and the Legatum Foundation -- had
pledged a total of $100 million to stamp out the practice.
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