Uzbekistan Has Second Highest Prevalence of Modern Slavery in the World – Report

Uzbekistan has the second highest prevalence of modern slavery in the world, and is home to the fourth largest population of enslaved persons, according to a new report.
 
The Global Slavery Index 2014 was compiled by the Australia-based nonprofit Walk Free Foundation (WFF). The West-African nation of Mauritania has the highest prevalence of modern slavery in the world, with 4 percent of the population (155,000 individuals) living under bondage-like conditions, the WFF estimates. In Uzbekistan the percentage stood at 3.97 percent, or 1.2 million people.
 
The WFF numbers for Uzbekistan appear conservative since, according to recently released estimates by the Cotton Campaign, roughly 4 million adults were pressed into gathering cotton this harvest season in Uzbekistan.
 
In terms of absolute numbers, Uzbekistan is in fourth place, ranking behind India, China and Pakistan.  The overall populations of all three countries are vastly larger than Uzbekistan, which has an estimated population of 29 million. Around the world, 35.8 million people are enslaved, with 61 percent of that estimated total found in India, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Russia, the WFF estimated.
 

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