High risk countries

Bangladesh
Brazil
Burma
China
Democratic Republic of Congo
India
Mexico
Nigeria
Pakistan
Philippines
Thailand
Turkey
Uzbekistan

Bangladesh

Domestic workers, garment producers and the fishing industry are major areas of modern slavery abuses in Bangladesh. An estimated 1.5 million people are held as slaves in the country and another 32 million children are involved in the labour force. Dangerous tasks in factories such as smoothing out sharp edges of machines are often done by children, some as young as five years old.

Products of concern: bricks, fish, footwear, furniture, glass, leather, matches, salt, soap, textiles

Nigeria

Up to 15 million children are working in different sectors in Nigeria, with many more adults being held in modern slavery conditions. The government does not enforce laws that protect workers from exploitative conditions. Many feel unsafe to report employers for fear of losing their jobs or worse, and the country is a major source of human trafficking. Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers come into Nigeria to work in dangerous conditions in granite pits and other mining operations.

Products of concern: cassava, cocoa, granite, gravel, sand

India

With at least 18.5 million people held as slaves in India, and millions more exploited in the labour market, any supply chain that includes India warrants further investigation. Many workers are tricked and then trapped into bonded labour, unable to pay back exorbitant loans or agent fees. India’s caste system, entrenched poverty, and massive internal migrant population make it a hub for labour abuses in many sectors.

Products of concern: brassware, bricks, cotton, footwear, garments, gems, glass, IT & electronics, leather, locks, rice, silk, stones

China

Forced labour is widespread in prison and labour camps. International standards mean that the work of a convicted prisoner is not classed as forced labour. However, in China many prisoners are not convicted of crimes or are held as political prisoners and the labour is often for the benefit of private companies. Restrictions on internal migration and entrenched government and corporate corruption makes worker abuse a common problem.

Products of concern: christmas decorations, coal, consumer goods, cotton, footwear, garments, IT & electronics, textiles, toys

Pakistan

The brick-kiln industry is of particular concern for modern slavery abuses in Pakistan, as is the agricultural sector. An estimated 1.7 million bonded labourers will never earn enough money to buy their freedom. Some even resort to selling organs to try to repay debts. Some parents take out a loan against their children’s labour, effectively selling them into slavery. Carpet weaving factories are particularly prone to child labour, with exceedingly high chances of lung problems due to inhalation of wool dust.

Products of concern: bricks, carpets, coal, cotton, glass, leather, sugarcane

Turkey

Child labour is common in rural areas of Turkey, particularly in agriculture, leather goods, and carpentry. Turkey’s proximity to markets in Europe and conflict-prone areas in the Middle East means refugees, particularly Syrians, are trafficked or exploited in the workforce. There are an estimated 1.6m children working in Turkey, often from migrant families.

Products of concern: beans, cotton, fruits, furniture, nuts, spices

Burma

A repressive regime and a source of cheap labour for neighbouring countries including China makes Burma a hotspot for complicity in modern slavery. The military regularly uses forced labour, targeting ethnic minority groups and indigenous peoples, with reports of imprisonment and torture for those who refuse to comply. Logging is of particular concern with many reports of the ethnic minority Karen people forced into producing teak wood which is exported for luxury products in the West, with the profits further bankrolling the military regime.

Products of concern: bamboo, beans, bricks, jade, nuts, palm, rice, rubber, sesame, shrimp, sugarcane, sunflowers, teak

Brazil

Poor labourers in Brazil are often tricked or forced into indentured slavery in the Amazon, then locked into debt cycles of inflated transport and food costs that they are forced to pay back. Vast swathes of isolated areas protect modern slavery abusers from enforcement by the government.

Products of concern: bricks, cattle, ceramics, charcoal, cotton, footwear, pineapples, rice, timber, tobacco

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Forced labour is rife in the DRC’s mining industry with armed groups and police forcing victims into debt bondage. The DRC is crucial to the global economy as cobalt, a resource used in mobile phones and other electronic devices, is mined there. A report by Amnesty International claimed that as many as 40,000 children are toiling in the cobalt mines of the DRC, working up to 12-hour days for as little as $1 while facing exposure to dangerous gasses, dust and physical abuse.

Products of concern:  cobalt, coltan, copper, diamonds, gold

Mexico

Nearly 2 million children in Mexico do not attend school because they are forced to work. Indigenous children, often from the poorest areas, are most at risk as their communities are already socially and economically marginalised. 86% of indigenous children over six years old are engaged in strenuous physical labour, often at risk of complex health problems due to exposure to harsh agricultural chemicals. In additon, internal migrants or migrants from other countries in Central or South America are particularly at risk from labour exploitation.

Products of concern: beans, chili peppers, coffee, cucumbers, melons, onions, sugarcane, tobacco, tomatoes

Philippines

Over 4 million Filipinos work overseas, making up ten percent of the workforce. Recruitment agencies prey on women in particular, promising better lives overseas as domestic workers. However, the reality is often bonded servitude, inflated debts or being trapped in poor working conditions in a foreign country. One in three Filipino children has dropped out of school in order to work in areas such as coconut or banana farming.

Products of concern: bananas, coconuts, corn, fashion, gold, rice, rubber, textiles

Uzbekistan

State-run labour camps are common during the height of the cotton-picking season. Under threats from the police and army, school children and even medical workers are forced to leave their families to work in cotton fields under harsh physical conditions and without shelter or proper food. Schools are closed during the cotton harvesting season, and anyone that does not participate can be expelled from their school or subjected to violence, intimidation and imprisonment. A recent EU-Uzbekistan trade deal lowered the price of cotton and obscures the country of origin so tainted Uzbek cotton can be difficult to discover.

Products of concern: cotton

Thailand

Migrants entering or leaving the country can be subject to extreme exploitation and forced labour. Passports are regularly confiscated to bind workers, with workers often incurring exploitative agency fees. Threats of violence and intimidation tactics are regularly used. Garment factories and the fishing industry are of significant concern, with many unregulated operators flagrantly disregarding even basic human rights. Child sexual exploitation and child labour are also prevalent issues in Thailand.

Products of concern: fish, garments, shrimp, sugar cane