研究:朝鲜、厄立特里亚拥有最高水平的“现代奴隶制”

Study: North Korea, Eritrea Have Highest Levels of ‘Modern Slavery’

The Global Slavery Index estimates that more than 40 million people around the world were subject to conditions similar to slavery.

The report said North Korea and Eritrea had the highest percentages in the world of what it calls “modern slavery.”

The numbers for the report come from 2016.

What is modern slavery?

The study defines modern slavery as human trafficking, forced labor¹ or debt bondage². The report also considers forced marriage and the sale and exploitation of children as modern slavery.

The Walk Free Foundation based in Australia has published the study since 2013.

India has the highest total number, 8 million people believed to work under slave-like conditions.

And North Korea has the highest percentage: one in ten people in North Korea are considered modern slaves, with “the clear majority forced to work by the state.”

For example, North Korea has used foreign workers to earn money for the government under harsh conditions. The researchers for the study spoke³ to 50 defectors from North Korea. Overall, 2.6 million people in North Korea live in modern slavery conditions, the study said.

The goal of the index is to pressure governments and companies to do more to end the problem of modern slavery. The Walk Free Foundation also wants more information about the real number of people affected⁴ by the problem.

Who is responsible, and what can be done?

The responsibility for modern slavery conditions, the report says, lies with developed nations because they import $350 billion worth of goods from developing countries. These goods, it says, are produced under questionable⁵ conditions.

Products that could be linked to the use of slave labor include coal, coca, cotton, wood and fish.

The report said two problems permit modern slavery to continue. They are repressive governments that use forced labor for support, and conflicts that cause a breakdown⁶ in the rule of law.

The report recommends that governments and businesses take action by making human rights a top issue in dealing⁷ with repressive nations.

After North Korea and Eritrea, the study found Burundi, the Central African Republic, Afghanistan and Mauritania also had high levels of slavery. South Sudan, Pakistan, Cambodia and Iran were also near the top of the list.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

bondage –n. the state of being a slave

exploitation –n. to use someone or something in an unfair way

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 bondage   

n.奴役，束缚

参考例句：

• Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。
• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

6 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。