While more and more employees complain about burnout nowadays, there is another serious phenomenon on the labor market. Modern slavery is the severe exploitation of other people for personal or commercial gain. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shocks to economies and labor markets are having a huge impact on people’s lives and livelihoods. Being afraid of losing their jobs, more people have become vulnerable to exploitation. Check out more about the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on modern slavery and child labor in the view of one expert below.
Key Takeaways:
- Modern slavery is the severe exploitation of other people for personal or commercial gain. As a result of the pandemic, there is an increase in victims of modern slavery and child labor.
- One of the most affected groups is migrant workers who, by depending on daily wages, were already at greater risk of modern slavery even before the COVID-19 crisis.
- Increasing social and financial support, expanding eligibility for unemployment benefits, social assistance and access to national health services, increasing medical treatment, providing adequate protection and support to those at risk and already in slavery, are just a few of the measures that could mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on modern slavery and child labor.
What is the impact of COVID-19 on modern slavery and child labor?
“The social and economic disruptions caused by COVID-19 have fragmented the efforts to fight modern slavery and child labor, with many governments and civil society organizations having their actions hampered or suspended for fear of exposure to the virus, and the resources needed to sustain their efforts against these scourges have been harder to come by. Also, there has been an increase in global unemployment after governments ordered the closure of non-essential businesses which generated a great supply of workers vulnerable to exploitation. More people were employed in the informal economy, with precarious contracts and little or no access to health insurance, leading them to be in fragile situations and conditions of risk and exploitation. The pandemic has also increased the economic and social inequalities exploited by some employers. One of the most affected groups has been migrant workers who, by depending on daily wages, were already at greater risk of modern slavery before the COVID-19 crisis, the irregular migrant status of some, and their exclusion from social and public economic support services. Now they have the added of risk of infection by being housed in densely populated labor camps. Furthermore, when migrant workers wish to return home, they are unlikely to be able to do so safely due to travel restrictions, leaving them stranded with no means of support. On the other hand, with the suspension of educational activities due to the pandemic, children have become more vulnerable to exploitation and an increase in child marriage as a strategy to increase of family capital can be observed. Refugees and trafficked adults and children have experienced increased violence and abuse at the hands of government officials and traffickers, especially the latter, who are less likely to profit from them due to labor market disruptions. The victims of trafficking cannot self-isolate or socially distance, especially if forced to provide sexual services, and those who have had their documentation taken away experience additional barriers to accessing health care and other services related to COVID-19. The lack of documentation also puts them at risk of abuse, detention, and revictimization by state agents. Even victims of trafficking have difficulties accessing information, protection, and support during and after their experience of trafficking.”
Which measures could mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on modern slavery and child labor?
“It is undeniable that as a result of the pandemic there is an increase in the victims of modern slavery and child labor. Therefore, effective responses to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 on people vulnerable to these activities, including migrant workers and those already in situations of slavery, should be carefully considered. Modern slavery and child labor can be prevented during and after the pandemic if governments allocate additional financial resources for protection, inclusion, and mitigation. How? By thinking about social and financial support to meet the living wage in each country for all workers who have lost their income due to the crisis including all migrants and informal workers, by expanding eligibility for unemployment benefits, social assistance, and access to national health services for vulnerable populations, including migrants, by increasing medical treatment, testing and social assistance support during the pandemic by making these accessible to communities vulnerable to slavery, by providing adequate protection and support to those at risk and already in slavery, including free shelter and comprehensive support services. Moreover, education-based initiatives are key to alleviating vulnerability, especially towards work and child marriage. If the disruption of educational systems becomes a long-term prospect, these scourges will continue to increase.”
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