Global Estimates of Modern Slavery and Child Labour

The following graphics are from Alliance 8.7's 2017 report on modern slavery. Alliance 8.7 is a international networking group formed under the International Labour Organization (ILO). Alliance 8.7 and it's members are working to raise awareness and eradicate modern slavery in all its forms. Each year they will release global estimates of modern slavery and child labour. This year's report features updated statistics and trends regarding child labour, forced marriage, commercial sexual exploitation and other forms of modern slavery.We've compiled some graphics from https://www.alliance87.org/ to summarize their research below:

Free To Shine's educational framework works to prevent all forms of trafficking and exploitation. Keeping girls in school means they are physically safe and looked after during the day. The longer they stay in school, the more they develop critical thinking and the ability to recognize potentially dangerous situations before its too late.

Many people ask us why our program focuses on supporting girls. These statistics help demonstrate the relatively high risk of trafficking that girls face, especially within the categories of forced marriage and forced sexual exploitation.

The prevalence of child slavery is very difficult for people to accept and many cannot believe that 25% of victims in modern day slavery are children. This reality fuels our mission to protect children and prevent all forms of exploitation.

These facts reiterate the stories our Managing Director, Nicky Mih, learned over 7 years ago when she spent time working in Cambodia with survivors of sex trafficking. Nicky spoke with the survivors, and from their stories and suggestions, Free To Shine was born.

There have been many articles about the rise of forced marriage throughout Asia, especially in China. Many articles have linked China's one child policy (1979-2015) to a high demand for foreign brides. This is because many families in China preferred male offspring for various cultural and traditional reasons which lead to a severe imbalance in gender demographics.

Although these estimates are difficult to fully absorb, they are key in demonstrating the current prevalence of modern slavery and the trends affecting specific regions and demographics. The Alliance 8.7 data motivates us at Free To Shine to continue our efforts to keep girls in school and prevent all forms of exploitation.