Slavery Around the World

Republicans are working to abolish slavery around the world. The United States has acted to ban slavery in China with the Uyghur Slave Labor Law. The law bans the import of goods from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), or from entities outside the region that have links to forced labor programs, unless companies can prove with clear and convincing evidence that items were not made with the use of slave labor.

Yet, there are many opportunities for Republicans to act to abolish slavery in foreign countries.

Africa

Africa is again the world's epicenter of modern-day slavery

Africa just recorded the highest rate of modern-day enslavement in the world.

Armed conflict, state-sponsored forced labor, and forced marriages were the main causes behind the estimated 9.2 million Africans who live in servitude without the choice to do so, according to the 2018 Global Slavery Index. And despite these practices being widespread, slavery has remained a largely invisible issue, in part, because it disproportionately affects the most marginalized members of society, such as minorities, women, and children.

China

Slaves in China may have made your sneakers, smartphone

From your phone, TV and sneakers to your clothes and COVID-19 masks, anti-slavery campaigners have warned there’s a very good chance part of them was made by political prisoners in China.

India

India is home to the world's largest slave population (yes, slavery still exists)

In the past, the desire for sugar drove the growth in slavery. Today, the global consumption of electronic goods is the primary culprit.