The aftermath of the slave trade era left a lasting impact on its victims. Despite the official ban in 1948, a modern form of ensnaring unsuspecting individuals into slavery has emerged.
A 2023 report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) unveils a staggering statistic: approximately 20 million people worldwide are coerced into marriages without their consent.
Additionally, the report estimates that another 28 million individuals are compelled into labor, bringing the total number of people caught in the web of modern slavery to 50 million globally.
To mark the International Day of Abolition of Slavery, Engage Africa Now, an advocacy group, highlights preventive measures that NGOs and African governments can adopt to eliminate all forms of modern slavery.
According to the advocacy group, Africa should “Develop and implement capacity building strategy that enhances awareness in issues of trafficking and addresses gaps in identifying people at risk as well as enhance capacities of social workers, caregivers in transitional shelters and selected residential homes in the provision of comprehensive care to victims of trafficking.”
Below is the full statement by Engage Africa Now:
