In Africa, climate change has exacerbated modern slavery & government response is poor

Climate change, along with other environmental factors, has exacerbated modern slavery, according to a new report by Walk Free, a human rights organisation. 

The problem is acute in Africa, where the government response to curtail the menace was also the poorest, according to The Global Slavery Index 2023. 

Modern slavery encompasses various forms of exploitation, including forced labour, forced marriage, debt bondage, commercial sexual exploitation, human trafficking, slavery-like practices and the sale and exploitation of children.

The adverse impacts of climate change magnify other drivers of displacement such as loss of livelihoods, poverty, food insecurity and a lack of access to water and other resources. Thus, people are pushed to migrate and become vulnerable to modern slavery.

More than 3.1 million Africans are in forced marriage and more than 3.8 million in forced labour, the report stated. 

On any given day in 2021, an estimated seven million men, women and children were living in modern slavery in Africa, a prevalence of 5.2 people in modern slavery for every thousand people. 

The countries with the highest prevalence of modern slavery in Africa are Eritrea, Mauritania and South Sudan. The countries with the lowest prevalence of modern slavery in Africa are Mauritius, Lesotho and Botswana.

The region recorded the fourth highest prevalence of modern slavery after the Arab States (10.1 per thousand), Europe and Central Asia (6.9) and Asia and the Pacific (6.8). 

Forced labour, particularly in the mining, agriculture, fishing and domestic work sectors, was the most common form of modern slavery in the region, at a rate of 2.9 per thousand people, while forced marriage was at 2.4 per thousand.

People who already lack adequate livelihood options become more vulnerable to forced labour as they and may be easily tricked into accepting risky opportunities for survival.

There are instances of African job seekers being misled by traffickers with false promises and subjected to forced labour in other continents such as the Gulf states.

In the Horn of Africa, increases in the rate of child marriages in drought-affected areas have been linked to the impacts of the climate crisis, particularly economic and food insecurity, displacement from homes and interrupted education for girls.

In the regions of Ethiopia hardest hit by drought, child marriage more than doubled in a year, according to UNICEF analysis. 

Forced marriage particularly impacts women and girls. One in every 300 females in the region was in a forced marriage compared to one in every thousand males.

Inadequate government response

Since 2018, the number of people living in modern slavery across the world has increased to 50 million — an alarming 25 per cent rise in the past five years, according to the report. 

But no government is on track to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 of ending modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking by 2030.

Walk Free assessed government responses to modern slavery in 51 countries in the Africa region. Governments across the region scored an average of 36 per cent, the weakest average response of all regions. 

Overall, while governments improved identification measures and legal frameworks, gaps in services available to survivors remained and only limited action has been taken to address systemic risk factors to modern slavery. 

Nigeria and South Africa have taken the most action, while Eritrea and Libya have taken the least. South Sudan was excluded from the assessment of government action on modern slavery due to ongoing conflict and extreme disruption to government function. 

The report suggested incorporating anti-slavery measures into plans addressing climate change sustainability. 

This involves recognising the connection between climate change and modern slavery as well as taking proactive steps to address vulnerabilities created by climate change. It should also be ensured that efforts to combat climate change do not contribute to forced labor and exploitation, the report added. 

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