A new report released on Monday claims that there are 35.8 million people worldwide who are stuck in modern-day slavery as they are forced to pick cotton, prostitute themselves, clean up for the wealthy, fight wars, and even grow cannabis in order to survive.

A survey was conducted by an anti-slavery campaign group called Walk Free Foundation (WFF), and the results show that India has the highest number of slaves overall. The group surveyed 167 countries, which revealed that Africa and Asia have the biggest challenges regarding slavery.

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WFF pressed that 14 million people live as slaves in India while China has 3 million slaves, followed by Pakistan with 2 million slaves and Uzbekistan with 1.2 million slaves. Russia rounds up the top five countries with slaves in the area with 1 million as they rely on migrant workers specifically for construction and agricultural aspects.

Due to these results, the group is calling on international cooperation regarding the said matter noting that the government should increase penalties regarding trafficking and close down businesses that use slaves.

Andrew Forrest, the chairman and founder of WFF, noted that they are campaigning for the end of slavery within this generation. He also pointed out that people assume slavery is an issue in the bygone area or the countries that are consumed by war and poverty. He said that their current findings prove this assumption wrong.

"We are all responsible for the most appalling situations where modern slavery exists and the desperate misery it brings upon our fellow human beings," he pressed. He also said that the first step to eradicate the growing concern is to measure it, which they were successful in doing.

There are also countries helping in ending modern day slavery. Among these are Australia, Austria, Georgia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States. However, only Australia, Brazil, and the U.S. are really finding ways to address the issue.

U.K., on the other hand, considers modern slavery as a live political issue as there has been a bill passed about this. According to WFF movement director Olly Buston, the bill in Britain regarding anti-slavery laws might be the best, but it should be strengthened.

TagsModern day slavery, Russia, Ubekistan, Pakistan, 35 million, People, wordlwide, trafficking, prostitution, marriage