Migration crisis adds to Europe’s slavery problem: report

According to latest Global Slavery Index, more than 1.2 million people are enslaved in Europe.

By KALEY JOHNSON 5/30/16, 11:00 PM CET Updated 5/31/16, 3:44 AM CET

More than 1.2 million people are victims of slavery in Europe, a figure boosted by human traffickers exploiting migrants seeking to reach the EU, according to new figures released Tuesday.

The Global Slavery Index 2016, published by anti-slavery organization the Walk Free Foundation, says that 1,243,400 people are enslaved in Europe, victims of human trafficking, forced labor, forced marriage and sexual exploitation. According to the study, 65 percent of the total are EU citizens, most of them from Eastern Europe.

European slavery accounts for a small percentage of the global total, according to the study. It says 45.8 million people are enslaved across the globe, 28 percent higher than previously estimated.

Migrants are increasingly vulnerable to trafficking and criminal exploitation, said Fiona David, executive director of global research at the Walk Free Foundation.

“You have this very, very large group of people who are in incredible distress and coming from trauma in their home country,” David said. “They’re on the move, they’re carrying their belongings and their children with them across very long distances. There’s no clear legal way for them to move.”

With limited resources, many rely on people smugglers to escape to Europe. Some resort to “survival sex” or other extreme measures in order to pay for their journey.

“What we’re seeing … is they’re being approached on a daily basis by people offering work or marriage; some are offering cash in exchange for blood, or body parts or organs,” David said.

In a March survey, the International Organization for Migration found that 7.2 percent of migrants traveling along the eastern Mediterranean route reported experiences with human trafficking. These included being forced to work against their will and being held against their will.

Andrew Forrest, chairman and founder of the Walk Free Foundation, called upon the world’s leading governments to take action against modern slavery.

“I believe in the critical role of our leaders in government, business and civil society,” Forrest said in a statement. “Through our responsible use of power, strength of conviction, determination and collective will, we all can lead the world to end slavery.”

Migration crisis adds to Europe's slavery problem