Not only in historical memory: Diving into the complex reality of modern slavery | Weekend special

Approximately 50 million people currently live in modern slavery, including forced labor and forced marriage. The article surveys the scope of the phenomenon worldwide, from the tyrannical regimes in North Korea and Eritrea to Western countries, and focuses on enforcement failures in Israel, where the last conviction for holding workers in slavery-like conditions was recorded in 2012.

Approximately 50 million people currently live in modern slavery, including forced labor (28 million) and forced marriage (22 million). The article surveys the scope of the phenomenon worldwide, focusing on countries with the highest rates relative to population: North Korea (104 per 1,000 residents), Eritrea (90), Mauritania (32), and Saudi Arabia (21). It also describes the detention of Uyghurs in internment camps in China and the forced labor of about 800,000 prisoners in the US. The central section focuses on Israel, where despite a criminal prohibition since 2006, enforcement is poor: the last conviction for holding workers in slavery-like conditions was recorded in 2012, and only 6% of police investigations deal with trafficking for labor purposes, which constitutes about half of known victims. A Tel Aviv University report revealed failures in victim identification, with most being discovered by civil society organizations rather than authorities. Recommendations include establishing a dedicated police unit and separating social enforcement authorities from immigration authorities.