There are some 350,000 forced labourers in the industrialised world
Some 12.3 million people are enslaved worldwide, according to a major report.
The International Labour Organization says 2.4 million of them are victims of trafficking, and their labour generates profits of over $30bn. The ILO says that while the figures may be lower than recent estimates, they reflect reported cases which may rise as societies face the problem. The report calls for a global alliance to improve laws and raise awareness of what it calls a "hidden" issue. The report, entitled A Global Alliance Against Forced Labour, is the ILO's second major investigation into slavery this century. The organisation says forced labour is a global problem, in all regions and types of economy. Many of the victims of forced labour are children The largest numbers are in poor Asian countries and Latin America, but there are more than 350,000 cases in the industrialised world. Four-fifths of forced labour is exacted by private agents and most victims are women and children, the ILO says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4534393.stm
Slavery in Africa has gotten a lot of headlines in the news over the last few years. It is a serious issue, and a crime against our people. As the descendants of enslaved Africans, no African American should turn their head on the sufferings of our brothers. However, modern slavery is depicted in International Media as an African issue. As this article points out, much of the world's slaves are actually in Asia & Latin America. This is a global issue, a crime against humanity, not just Africa. We have to look for ways to end these institutions of exploitating the defenseless. However at the same time we need to be cautious about how the media portrays crimes being unique to Africa, when in reality they exist in all lands.