Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Nobel laureate Satyarthi: Gangs exploit refugee crisis to enslave people

The refugee crisis has exacerbated human trafficking and modern slavery with global action needed to tackle the criminal gangs now selling people as well as firearms and drugs, Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi has said.

Ahead of a summit of global leaders and Nobel laureates in Jordan this month on children's rights, Satyarthi said organised gangs involved in other crimes had moved in to profit from slavery which is estimated to generate $150 billion a year.


"This refugee crisis has resulted in trafficking and slavery," said Satyarthi, joint winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize with Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai for his work curbing child labour and fighting for their right to education.

"Human trafficking, small firearms and drugs are the three most organised crimes. Now they are intermingled," he told a workshop on trafficking run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

He said there was growing recognition that slavery was a global issue with figures from the United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) and rights group Walk Free Foundation estimating about 40 million people are living as slaves.

India is home to more slaves than any other nation - previous global estimates put the number at 18 million - with men, women and children trapped in forced labour and sex work.

Tens of thousands of children go missing each year in India with authorities now trying to set up a facial recognition system to match more than 100,000 children living in government or private shelters with reports of those who have disappeared.

Meanwhile, an estimated 10,000 lone migrant children have gone missing since arriving in Europe, Satyarthi said, citing figures from the European Union's criminal intelligence agency Europol.

Satyarthi said he had heard reports of Syrian refugees agreeing to child marriages for their daughters to stop them from being sold into the sex trade or other forms of slavery.

He will meet with leaders from Jordan's King Abdullah to Panama's Juan Carlos Varela and various Nobel laureates and activists this month to address challenges facing children on the move, such as migrants, refugees and trafficking victims.

"Trafficking and slavery, and the denial of education combined with the refugee crisis, must be brought to the fore," said Satyarthi, whose charity Bachpan Bachao Andolan says it has freed at least 80,000 child slaves in India over 30-odd years.

Satyarthi said India's first anti-trafficking law, which may be passed this month after being approved by cabinet last week, was a major step forward with life sentences for traffickers and a rehabilitation fund to help victims rebuild their lives.

Yet Satyarthi warned that it was not the end of the fight in India.

"The caste system, gender discrimination, and the apathetic attitude of government officials and corruption are the biggest hurdles," he said.

More For You

Starmer scraps NHS England to cut costs and improve care

Keir Starmer speaks with medical staff during a visit to the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom Hospital in Epsom, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Starmer scraps NHS England to cut costs and improve care


HUNDREDS of millions of pounds could be saved and patient waiting lists reduced as prime minister Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England, the body overseeing the state-funded health system.

In a speech delivered in Hull, Starmer explained his decision to streamline the National Health Service's management structure: "I can't, in all honesty, explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy."

Keep ReadingShow less
UK economy contracts unexpectedly in January

Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaks while holding roundtable discussion during a visit to RAF Waddington in eastern England. (Photo by YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UK economy contracts unexpectedly in January

BRITAIN's economy unexpectedly shrank in January, official data showed on Friday (14), piling more pressure on the Labour government ahead of its Spring Statement on the economy.

Gross domestic product contracted 0.1 per cent in the month after GDP rose 0.4 per cent in December, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Yash responds to JJ Perry's praise for upcoming film Toxic, A power-packed collaboration

The makers of Toxic have kept many details about the film under wraps, including its complete cast

Instagram/ jjlocoperry

Yash responds to JJ Perry's praise for upcoming film Toxic, A power-packed collaboration

Kannada superstar Yash, who garnered global recognition for his KGF films, is once again in the spotlight. This time, it’s for his upcoming film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, directed by Geetu Mohandas. The film, which is highly anticipated, has been receiving praise from Hollywood action director, JJ Perry, known for his work in blockbusters like John Wick and Iron Man. Perry, who joined the Toxic team a few months ago, recently took to Instagram to share his excitement about the project and posted a behind-the-scenes picture from the set.

In his post, Perry expressed how much he enjoyed working on Toxic and called the film “a banger.” He also mentioned that it was a pleasure collaborating with Yash and his close friends from Europe. This public appreciation from a Hollywood heavyweight has only amplified the buzz around the film, especially given Perry’s reputation for working on high-octane action sequences.

Keep ReadingShow less
Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

The lunar eclipse of Friday may not have been as dramatic as the total eclipses seen in other parts of the world

iStock

Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

In the early hours of Friday morning, stargazers across the UK were treated to a partial lunar eclipse, with many enthusiasts rising before dawn to catch a glimpse. The celestial event, which saw the Earth's shadow partially covering the Moon, began at 05:09 GMT. Although only partial for most UK observers, it still presented a spectacular sight, with western parts of the country and regions further afield, such as the Americas and some Pacific islands, witnessing the eclipse.

For some, like Kathleen Maitland, the experience was magical. Stargazing from Pagham Harbour in West Sussex, she described the beauty of watching the Moon gradually darken and transform into a reddish hue, with the sunrise unfolding behind her. The eclipse gave rise to the so-called "blood Moon," a phenomenon that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, turning a dusky red as sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

From L - Reetu Kabra, Sudha Sanghani, Parul Gajjar,Maya Sondhi,Shobu Kapoor, Meera Syal,Piyusha Virani, Sadhana Karia and Shobhna Shah during Sangam Foundation's Women's Day celebrations.

Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

HUNDREDS of women gathered for the International Women's Day celebrations of Sangam Foundation last week. Prominent actresses Meera Syal, Shobhu Kapoor and Maya Sondhi have attended the event, a statement said.

The British Asian celebrities shared their experiences of breaking into an industry rife with misogyny and prejudice. The industry veterans also talked about challenges they faced in a male-dominated field.

Keep ReadingShow less