A New Climate For Slavery?

The climate crisis increases the incidence of extreme weather events like floods, droughts and fires. These events have devastating effects, especially on people who are already living in poverty. The World Bank estimate, by 2050, the impact of the climate crisis will have forced more than 200 million people to leave their homes. These migrations are likely to occur, according to the bank, across 6 regions. These include sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America. New studies suggest modern slavery and human trafficking are increased by forced migrations (https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/sep/20/climate-crisis-leaving-millions-at-risk-of-trafficking-and-slavery). The International Institute for Environment and Development, collaborating with Anti-Slavery International, have illustrated the danger. For example, drought in Northern Ghana, resulted in young men and women migrating from subsistence farming into the cities. The women often began working as 'porters' (carrying goods on their heads). They quickly became at risk of trafficking, sexual exploitation and debt bondage (being forced to work to pay off huge, often concocted debts). Similar problems seemed to occur in the Sundarbans (a mangrove area in a major delta between Bangladesh and India). Here, severe cyclones with flooding, drove people into the arms of human traffickers. This resulted in people working in 'sweat shops' across the border in India. There was also sexual exploitation and debt bondage. If The World Bank's predictions about the levels of forced human movements are correct, slavery is likely to be making a serious comeback by 2050.