Millions trapped in modern slavery as aid cuts and anti-migration policies deepen the crises

The world is in the grip of a modern slavery crisis, and experts are warning that the situation is spiraling. According to the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking’s new 150-page report, “No Country is Immune,” 50 million people—men, women, and children—are trapped in modern slavery. Yet, instead of ramping up action, governments are slashing aid, dismantling protections, and turning their backs on the most vulnerable.

Former UK Prime Minister, Theresa May told CNN,

“This is the greatest human rights issue of our time. It is a moral stain on our humanity that 50 million people are in slavery today.”

The Commission’s new report outlines how political inaction is enabling exploitation. It calls for urgent reforms such as strong domestic laws, accountability in supply chains, and a global definition of modern slavery. But as May bluntly put it, “the political will to act is gone.”

Aid cuts: undoing decades of progress

Under the Trump administration, the US stopped all overseas grants from the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB). This now dismantled governmental body was instrumental in reducing child labor by 78 million cases in just two decades. Now the programs it supported can no longer operate.

Reid Maki, the coordinator of the Child Labor Coalition, states in the Associated Press:

“We were on a path to eliminating the scourge (of child labor), and now, if ILAB is defunded, if the programs are closed, we’re looking at the reverse. We’re looking at an explosion of child labor.”

According to Catherine Feingold, international director of the AFL-CIO, for AP News,

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs researched and worked to combat modern slavery among children and adults with about $500 million in grants.

The bureau produced annual reports tracking labor conditions and listing products that were made with child labor. American companies relied on the research to determine if there was improper labor in their supply chains.

“You don’t want American workers competing with countries that use forced and child abor,” Feingold said. “I worry that we’re going to see more products made with child and forced labor, both in the U.S. and around the world. We’re going so far back in time here, allowing forced labor and child labor to go rampant in the global economy.”

Anti-migration policies becoming the leading cause of death for children

This regression in support and funding has deadly consequences—especially for children. According to ReliefWeb, at least 4,044 children have died on migration routes since 2014. These children died on the move from fleeing conflict, hunger, and climate disasters. Nearly half drowned, while others perished in vehicle accidents or under brutal transport conditions.

But it’s not only cuts to aid that are fueling this crisis. Hostile migration policies are forcing people to take increasingly dangerous routes in search of safety. As safe and legal pathways shut down, children and families have no choice but to risk their lives crossing deserts, seas, and militarized borders.

Daniela Reale, the Migration Policy & Advocacy Lead at Save the Children states,

“The true scale is likely much higher. And that number will only continue to rise as governments continue slashing critical aid that aims at addressing the root causes of migration. If more children and their families are pushed to make these life-threatening journeys, more will die.”

Governments are not just abandoning their human rights obligations; they are actively creating conditions for modern slavery to flourish. Hostile borders, aid cuts, and anti-migrant rhetoric are not deterring migration; they are only destroying safe options and driving children into the arms of traffickers.

The cost of indifference and the desperate need for action

From modern slavery to migrant deaths, the message is clear: failure to act costs lives. When governments turn their backs on their responsibilities to uphold human rights, the consequences are felt globally.

Survivor-advocate Nasreen Sheikh captured the urgency:

“Slavery is embedded in everything we consume. But we can change that… We are not going to consume someone else’s suffering.”

Be the change we desperately need to see. Take action to eradicate modern slavery. You can do this by taking action on a number of our campaigns. Advocate for putting people over profit, or sign the petition urging governments to implement effective anti-trafficking and safe migration policies.