Turkey comes fifth in the world and first in Europe in modern slavery

Photo: Walk Free

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The Australia-based human rights organization Walk Free published its new Global Slavery Index report. The report indicates that, as of 2021, 49,6 million people live as "modern slaves," and recalls that this number was 10 million in 2016. 

Turkey comes fifth in the world and first in Europe

Turkey has risen to the fifth rank in the world in the Global Slavery Index. In the last report the same organization prepared in 2018, Turkey ranked 48th globally. However, this year only North Korea, Eritrea, Mauritania, and Saudi Arabia are the countries with a higher prevalence of modern slavery than Turkey. 

And Turkey has the highest prevalence in Europe and Central Asia according to the report. 

The 2023 Global Slavery Index estimates that on any given day in 2021, there were 1.3 million individuals living in modern slavery in Turkey.

With this figure, Turkey falls within the top ten globally.

The countries with the smallest number of modern slaves on the other hand are Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden according to the index. 

"Modern slavery" definition 

Walk Free identifies "modern slavery" as a term that refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power. 

According to the organization, modern slavery includes forced labor, debt bondage, forced marriage, other slavery and slavery-like practices, human trafficking, and the sale, trafficking, and exploitation of children.

Besides having the highest prevalence of modern slavery in Europe and Central Asia, Turkey is also among the countries taking the least action to respond to modern slavery in the region. 

According to the report by Walk Free, the countries estimated to have the highest prevalence of modern slavery tend to be conflict-affected, have state-imposed forced labor, and have weak governance.

You can read the whole Country Study on Turkey on the Walk Free website. (NT/PE)