J Campos
In a world that often prides itself on human rights advancements, it is shocking that child slavery and human trafficking continue to thrive at alarming levels. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in her recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly, issued a strong appeal for the international community to intensify efforts to combat these heinous crimes.
This issue isn’t confined to developing nations; it is entrenched in global criminal networks, fueled by illegal immigration and the demand in black markets. Meloni emphasized the urgent need for united action to dismantle these networks, which treat human beings, especially children, as mere commodities.
«The United Nations must do more because these criminal organizations are recreating, in new forms, a type of slavery—the commodification of human beings—that this Assembly once played a key role in eradicating. We cannot go backward.»
The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that in 2021, around 49.6 million people were subjected to some form of modern slavery, with 12 million being children. These horrifying figures highlight the gravity of the issue, with 27.6 million people forced into labor and 22 million trapped in forced marriages, which are also recognized as modern slavery.
Meloni underscored that illegal immigration is often exploited by human trafficking networks, allowing them to expand their reach. These networks not only prey on the desperation of migrants fleeing poverty and conflict but also capitalize on migration flows to fuel modern slavery.
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