It is estimated that more than 50 million people worldwide live in slavery, according to the International Labour Organization and the UN. During the transatlantic slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries, over 20 million Africans were captured and enslaved by Western colonial powers. The difference in figures is striking and constitutes an indictment of today's society.

Race is a factor in modern slavery, but not the only or even the determining one. Racism was not the initial driver of the transatlantic trade; rather, slaveholders promoted it to justify inhuman treatment. Modern slavery exists in nearly every country, including European nations, and transcends ethnic, cultural, and religious barriers.

Recent figures show that over half of forced labor and a quarter of forced marriages occur in upper-middle- or high-income countries. The vast majority of forced labor (approximately 86%) takes place in the private sector. Forced commercial sexual exploitation represents about a quarter of all forced labor, mainly affecting women and girls. An estimated 3.5 million children worldwide are victims of forced labor.

The mines in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo offer a horrifying picture of forced labor. More than 70% of the world's cobalt comes from thousands of enslaved people extracting the mineral for the equivalent of less than €1.50 per day, enriching multinational corporations. At least 40,000 enslaved children extract rocks so that major tech companies can launch new mobile models each year.

Forced marriage is another major component of modern slavery, with estimates indicating that over 22 million women and girls live in forced marriages. The true incidence is likely much higher.

Migrant workers are more than three times as likely to be victims of forced labor as non-migrant adults. Conflict-affected countries — such as the DRC, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Nigeria, and others — show heightened vulnerability.

Modern slavery thrives where vulnerability meets profit: low wages, discrimination, lack of legal status, conflict, corruption, and weak labor protection. It operates through hidden, well-organized exploitation networks where people are trapped by debt, threats, lies, and violence.

The reality is that contemporary slavery continues to underpin the global economy. Next September marks the centenary of the UN Slavery Convention, and we have not made major progress. That should remind us that good words did not end ancient slavery; it was the resistance of enslaved people, along with unity and support from allies, that played a fundamental role in its eradication.