Human rights activists from the organization The Walk Free Foundation has counted 1 million to 48.5 thousand slaves in Russia is 0.73% of the total population of the country. Today, our country is ranked seventh out of 167 States in the total number of slaves, next to such States as North Korea and Nigeria. Activist of the movement “Alternative” Oleg Melnikov is sure: the reasons for doubling the number of slaves in the last three years are the Ukrainian crisis and the economic downturn.
According to the global slavery index The Global Slavery Index), in the modern world, 45.8 million people are in some form of slavery. This is according to the report published on the website of the international organization The Walk Free Foundation. The global slavery index presents a ranking of 167 countries by the number of people who are in some form of the so-called “modern slavery”.
This term refers to various forms of forced labour and prostitution, organ trafficking and people
and any relationship that violate the principle of equality and universal human rights to dignity and freedom.
According to the rating, Russia is currently more than 1 million slaves (1 million 48 thousand 500 people). The absolute number of slaves Russia ranked seventh among North Korea (1.1 million) and Nigeria (875 thousand).
However, the proportion of slaves in the total population of the country is relatively small — on this indicator Russia is on 16th place.
The report notes that more than half (58%) of those who are currently in slavery, live in five countries: India (18.4 million), China (3.3 million), Pakistan (2.1 million), Bangladesh (1.5 million) and Uzbekistan (1.2 million). Some of these countries provide cheap labor, which produces goods for the markets of Western Europe, Japan, North America and Australia
Specialists the Walk Free Foundation in detail make out the situation in some individual countries. So, according to the organization,
in the DPRK there is evidence of forced labour in the vast network of labor camps, at the same time, North Korean women are subject to forced marriage
and they are literally traded in China and other neighboring countries. The Uzbek authorities force their citizens every year to harvest cotton.
The rating is also reported on the countries with the lowest rates of modern slavery in relation to the entire population. Such countries are Luxembourg, Ireland, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden and Belgium, as well as USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. According to the organization, in these politically stable countries, the government has shown the greatest desire to fight modern-day slavery.
In a separate ranking of countries whose governments are making the greatest efforts to combat slavery, Russia received a rating of CC. According to the gradation of The Walk Free Foundation, States with the assessment of “take limited measures to combat slavery, provide basic services of assistance to victims, have limited system of criminal punishment and protection system of modern slavery. In addition, there is evidence that some state practices and laws facilitate the spread of slavery. Services for the anti-slavery largely provided by NGOs with limited government funding or in-kind support”.
The rating of The Walk Free Foundation has already filed claim: a methodology of organizing called “mysterious” and “inconsistent”, have criticized the methods of random sampling and representative surveys conducted by Gallup (Gallup). Even
the term “modern slavery” has no clear criteria and varies from year to year,
depriving a rating of representativeness. In 2013, Russia ranked 49th place in the ranking of world slavery Global Slavery Index. Then in our country, according to experts, there were up to 540 thousand people who could be called modern slaves. All in all, at that time there were an estimated 29.8 million people living in conditions of slavery. If you believe The Walk Free Foundation, for three years in Russia, and worldwide, the number of slaves has increased almost in one and a half to two times.
Activist of the movement “Alternative” Oleg Melnikov considers the testimony credible and close to reality. “In connection with the conflict in Ukraine and instability in some CIS countries, a very large number of migrant workers coming to Russia — even without knowing the language. They are absolutely not adapted to the Russian legislation in the sense that they don’t know how built labor relations in our country. In this regard, the number of slaves is growing,” he said in an interview with “Газетой.Ru”.
Another reason is the economic crisis, from-for which in the country increased internal migration. If before, people have enough earnings in their regions, now they have to commute to jobs in other parts of the country. “Basically, it used to be, but not on the same scale. Many because of the downturn of the economy lost earnings, are unable to pay off loans.
For the “big money” they go to the big cities and there get into the network of so-called slave owners. About 10% of the people who came from villages to Moscow, fall into slavery,
— says Melnikov. At the stations people become hostages recruiters who trafficked slaves in brick factories and farms, Opava their victims with barbiturates and other drugs (three years ago Melnikov had to experience this procedure on himself).
In addition, in the major cities of Russia in recent years has increased the number of beggars. “90% of them will tell you that they are from the Ukraine, 80% of them of the Odessa region, where wielding the Moldovan Diaspora of Roma who seek out their victims offered a job (for example, to baby-sit or clean the store), and actually transported here to beg. They have taken the documents and promise to release, if they earn $10-15 thousand,” — says Melnikov. The police servants will also not help because of the lack of documents on their recovery takes at least three weeks, and the lack of a roof over your head pushes victims to get back to its master.
“One of the most severe cases happened to the grandmother from Lugansk region. In his youth, in the 60-ies, it lost sight. In 2012 she was asked to go to Russia to restore vision. But instead, she sewed the eye, and the year she begged near the Kursk railway station, — says Melnikov. —
You need to understand that in Moscow there are no needy people. No need to buy off his conscience by throwing the small change to beggars.
If you want to help — need help, but in any case not to give them money. Otherwise, these grandmothers will only get bigger”.
According to the activist, in a two-fold increase in the number of slaves in Russia is guilty including the current legislation. Article 127 paragraph 2 of the criminal code (use of slave labor) spelled out very casually: it is unclear who falls under the definition of “slave” and who misses. “Any police officer will tell you: “Well, what is he a slave, where his chain?”, although historically never slaves in chains and not holding. Even if the person being held in slavery, write a statement to the police, he still will not come to a confrontation. In the end, these cases are simply closed,” says Melnikov.
In Moscow, during a high profile case about slaves in Golyanovo, militiamen refused to initiate proceedings at the 127th article, adds Miller. “When it was opened, it was closed five days later without explanation. Relatives of slaves were forced to apply to ECHR to protect their rights. As for “Alternatives”, the movement is trying to do everything in his power to rectify the situation. In the queue for release, we are 30 people, and money is only one. So you live” — throws up his hands Melnikov.
