Priya Kumari is a little girl who went missing and was never heard from again. Her case, subsequent demonstrations and the reactions of the authorities of those demonstrations, show how little the state cares for those who are less privileged.

Among those are the over 2m Pakistanis who are in the chains of modern slavery in the form of forced labour, forced marriage, debt bondage, forced commercial sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and the sale of children. Modern slavery refers to situations of exploitation in which a person cannot refuse or leave, explains the international human rights group Walk Free. The region is a hotbed for slavery, with India having the highest number in the world, according to The Global Slavery Index 2023.

High economic insecurity drives workers to take risky jobs or loans from unscrupulous employers. Employers then exploit these workers by forcing them into labour-intensive jobs to repay their debts.

In Pakistan, a 2021 survey among cotton farm workers found that 27pc indicated that they could not leave work on the farm if they found another job and one-fifth had seen children working on cotton farms during school hours.

While developing countries bear the brunt of bonded labour, the purchasing practices of wealthier governments fuel exploitation. The G20 nations account for more than 75pc of the world’s trade and consume many products at risk of forced labour.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, July 22nd, 2024