According to a new report from Verisk Maplecroft, slavery is still rampant in ten of the world’s top twelve garment-producing countries.
VM researchers collected and compiled data on 198 countries in total to create a global slavery index, which businesses can use to assess the risk of “slavery, servitude, trafficking in persons and forced or compulsory labor” in their supply chains.
In total, 115 of the 198 countries were categorized as “extreme risk.” Unsurprisingly, North Korea tops the list of offenders, followed by South Sudan. But the report also puts a large emphasis on China, and specifically warns about forced labor in India’s agricultural and garment sectors.
Somewhat shockingly, both the U.S. and much of Europe were considered “medium risk,” despite having myriad, long-standing laws against forced labor. As VM’s principal human rights analyst, Alex Channer, put it, “when countries with the most advanced legislation struggle to completely eradicate slavery, it reveals the challenges governments in less developed regions face.”
You can read more about Verisk Maplecroft’s slavery index at CNN.
