30 million people live in slavery

slavery, human rights group
says Mansi Thapliyal / Reuters, file A 16-year-old girl stands inside a protection
home on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, in
November 2012 after being rescued by a
charity from bonded labor. By Alexander Smith, NBC News contributor Almost 30 million people across the globe are living in
modern-day slavery, according to a report published
Thursday. The inaugural Global Slavery Index, published by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation, said the African nation of Mauritania, Haiti, Pakistan, and India have the
highest number of slaves in proportion to population. But taken in absolute terms, global powers such as
China and Russia were near the top of the list of
countries with the largest total of people living in
slavery. The index says the term "slavery" is used mean a
variety of conditions, such as forced labor, human
trafficking, the sale and exploitation of children, and
forced marriage. As many as half of the estimated global total of 29.8
million slaves are living in India, the index said. With between 13.3 million and 14.7 million slaves --
more than the population the U.S. state of Illinois --
around 10 percent of India's population are facing
these conditions. The second highest is China, with around 3 million
people estimated to be living in slavery. The index said the figure for China includes “the forced
labour of men, women and children in many parts of
the economy, including domestic servitude and forced
begging, the sexual exploitation of women and
children, and forced marriage.” The Walk Free Foundation said in a preface to the
report that it is "committed to ending all forms of
modern slavery in this generation." "Whether it is called human trafficking, forced labour,
slavery or slavery-like practices...victims of modern
slavery have their freedom denied, and are used and
controlled and exploited by another person for profit,
sex, or the thrill of domination," it said. Johan Ordonez / AFP - Getty Images Teenage girls are among five women, 38
girls and one boy rescued from a house
where they were held captive by a network
of human trafficking and labor exploitation,
in Villa Canales municipality, 25 km south of
Guatemala City, on October 10. It also commented on the "staggering but harsh reality"
that many people are born into hereditary slavery,
particularly in West Africa and South Asia. The index ranked 162 countries based on three factors:
estimated prevalence of modern slavery by population,
levels of child marriage, and levels of human trafficking
into and out of the country. The U.S. came in at 134th, worse off than Barbados
(135), South Korea (137), Hong Kong (141), Costa Rica
(146), and Cuba (149). While deeming the U.S. and Canada "very low risk," it
said they were prime destinations for human trafficking
because of "their demand for cheap labour and
relatively porous land borders." The U.K., Ireland, and Iceland were given the best
ratings and came in at joint 160th. “This does not mean these countries are slavery free,”
the report said. “On the contrary, it is estimated that
there are between 4,200 -- 4,600 people in modern
slavery in the United Kingdom alone.” Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest founded
the Walk Free Foundation last year, according to
Reuters. Its Global Slavery Index was endorsed by leaders
including former U.S. Secretary Hillary Clinton, former
U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and Microsoft co-
founder Bill Gates.