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Three women in London have been freed after 30 years of alleged domestic slavery. Sources disagree about how many others there may be
Read about the three women freed in London
Read about the three women freed in London
In breaking news, when there's a lack of information, misinformation often floods into the gap. In statistics, the same thing can happen. That's especially true when it comes to illegal activity that occurs in low numbers, no matter how devastating its effects might be.
The Home Office doesn't collect regular statistics on slavery. Even the tiny organisation thatuncovered Britain's most extreme case of modern slavery, Freedom Charity, can not provide a measure of the extent of the problem.
That information vacuum has already been noticed. Last month, the Home Office launched a consultation for experts and charities to come forward in evidence sessions that will ultimately lead to a draft "Modern Slavery Bill".
The consultation will probably draw on some of the estimates we've outlined below to understand just how unique the latest case is.
Estimate 1: Types of slavery
The International Labour Organization (ILO) produced a report in 2012 on forced labour which they define as "modern-day slavery". Their data, which covers the period 2002-2011, estimates that "20.9 million people, or around three out of every 1,000 persons worldwide, were in forced labour at any given point in time over this ten-year period".
Because slavery comes in many different forms though, and because it is so intricately linked to human trafficking they tried to highlight in which areas it is most prevalent.
Victims of sexual exploitation are the most likely to have moved, whether it's cross-border or with a country. Whereas state-imposed forced labour workers are most likely to have never moved at all (shown as 'none' in beige above).
Gender affects vulnerability - women make up 98% of those that are enslaved in sexual exploitation while men account for 60% of labour exploitation victims.
Estimate 2: Duration
The three women found in London had been enslaved for 30 years - an exceptionally long period of time by any measure. In fact, the ILO didn't even include slavery that had lasted more than ten years in their data as it is so rare.
They estimate that just 5% of individuals are slaves for 6 to 10 years. Their methodology though is a complex one. They took all reported cases of forced labour over the decade (8,132 across media and government reports, academic papers etc) checked them (7,519 were validated) then made estimates that were specific for each region.
Estimate 3: UK, sexual exploitation most prevalent
In a report titled 'It Happens Here', the Centre for Social Justice conducted its own research to estimate the number of adults and children exploited in the UK. Like other sources, they claim that sexual exploitation is the most prevalent form of slavery in the UK.
Estimate 4: Is it increasing?
In June 2013, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published its own evaluation about the scale of the problem. In this table, printed on page 72 of the report, they use statistics provided by Migrant Help to estimate how slavery is changing in the UK. The numbers show clients of the charity which "provides support for people who are trafficked, specialising in support for adult victims trafficked for purposes other than sexual exploitation, i.e. labour exploitation, as well as domestic servitude".
This is useful, partly because sex trafficking figures in particular tend to be treated with panic rather than caution. As a result, the annual estimates can swing between 142 and 25,000 in the UK alone.
If you have seen other sources you think are reliable please share them in the comments below
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Numerous memorials planned for the day, including an event in Dallas in Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy was killed
At least 35 people have been killed in the explosion of an oil pipeline in eastern China. About 165 others were injured. The blast in the coastal city of Qingdao was the latest in a string of accidents in China, which has been plagued by a poor industrial safety record. The state-owned pipeline sprang a leak early Friday and exploded several hours later as workers were repairing it. The blast ripped roads apart, turned cars over and sent black smoke over the city.Chinese President Xi...
On 22 November 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated whilst in in an open-top convertible
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This anthology is a nice crash course for would-be Muscovites travelling literally or literately
Moscow now joins Madrid, Paris, Berlin and Rome in the OUP's series of anthologies. The earliest story in this collection, edited by Helen Constantine, dates from 1792 (Nikolai Karamzin's sentimental and folksy "Poor Liza"), while the most recent was written especially for the collection (Igor Sutyagin's cold-eyed account of his imprisonment in the notorious penal colony of Lefortovo for alleged spying in 2004). The intervening two centuries are ably covered by stories that range in setting from suburban dachas to the coffee bars of the modern-day city centre – and include a behind the scenes look at the Salamonsky Circus through the eyes of a lost family pet; a contemporary fairytale about a domestic witch able to charm household objects into working; and (of course) the story of an ageing Don Juan who surprises himself by falling in love with his latest conquest (Chekhov's classic, "Lady with a Little Dog"). With extensive notes on each story, a suggested further reading list, and a map of the Moscow subway, this is a nice crash course for would-be Muscovites – whether travelling literally or literately.
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MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's abrupt decision to return to Mother Russia's bear hug after a flirtation with western Europe can be traced back to a secretive meeting of their two presidents two weeks ago.
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The Obama administration is pressing the Afghan government to sign a new security pact or face the prospect of no U.S. troops in the country beyond 2014.State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told VOA's Afghan Service Friday that failing to conclude the Bilateral Security Agreement this year with Afghan President Hamid Karzai is "not an option" the U.S. is considering."The bottom line is we need to conclude this agreement with a signature between our two governments as...
Three rescue workers among at least 47 people killed, as search continues for any survivors trapped in rubble
The death toll from the collapse of a supermarket in the Latvian capita, Riga, rose to at least 47 on Friday as rescue workers pulled more bodies from the ruins.
Cranes lifted large slabs from the wreckage of the Maxima store to try to find those trapped after the roof collapsed late on Thursday when the 5,000 sq ft building was full of shoppers on their way home from work.
The death toll included three rescue workers. "In the past hours, no survivors have been found," said Viktorija Sembele, a rescue service spokeswoman.
To help rescuers identify where shoppers were during the collapse, police have created a map based on tapes from security cameras. Latvian public television said as many as 40 people could still be trapped in the rubble, based on information from the cameras, but neither Sembele nor police could confirm the figure.
"Every hour, air temperature, high air moisture – they are factors that reduce possibility to find some survivors. But, of course, hope always remains," said Armands Plorins, chief of the emergency ambulance service.
The cause of the collapse remains unknown, but the interior minister, Rihards Kozlovskis, said: "It is clear that there has been a problem with fulfilment of construction requirements."
Local media said workers had been building a roof garden on the supermarket, a single-storey building located about a 30-minute drive from the city centre. Soil, grass and parts of a new walkway could be seen dangling from the edges of the collapsed rooftop.
The prime minister, Valdis Dombrovskis, announced three days of mourning from Saturday and said the collapse had shattered the country.
"In our thoughts we are together with all those stricken by this tragedy," Dombrovskis said. "No matter what the cause of the tragedy is, the number of victims is too big."
Earlier on Friday, about 50 people gathered near the ruins for news of relatives, while others brought candles and flowers.
"I have a wife there. There is no information about her, whether she is dead or alive. Wherever I call, there is no information," said Igor Umanov. He said he believed his wife was alive.
A girl at the scene told public radio she had gone into the shop with her mother when a concrete block collapsed between them and she was nearly buried in rubble. She managed to escape but had not yet found her mother.
Other witnesses said there was a loud noise and the store went dark. People escaped through holes in the windows.
Rescue workers were called late on Thursday to the store, which according to local media had been awarded an architecture prize when it was completed in 2011. Several were injured by a second collapse because of the building's weakened structure.
Rescue workers were halting work periodically to listen for survivors and for the sounds of mobile phones in the wreckage, Latvian television said.
The state fire and rescue service chief, Oskars Abolins, told Latvian TV that heavy concrete blocks were hampering rescue efforts. He said: "As we have to search all the rubble and the whole construction, rescue work might continue for another day."
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The United States paused to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Friday with memorial ceremonies and moments of silence.In Dallas, Texas -- the southwestern city where President Kennedy was assassinated as he rode in an open-air motorcade -- church bells chimed as several thousand people observed the solemnity of the exact moment he was shot on Dealey Plaza.Dallas dedicated a new marker with words from a speech President Kennedy planned to give that...
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![Members of the Policia Federal Preventiva (PFP) escort narcotrafficker Rafael Caro Quintero (C) in Guadalajara, on Jan. 29, 2005. [AFP]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vkxZqyXqw8jYArW66lckZP9pmneIhWtcRB8ZN5tRo1d-WVrYtKP7nitNKvK-oFm9dNbjVZfG4TLDzKdIc5hhzj66fqu0M2Wxw1sc-JxQ-oZzd8h8pReHbRdsfFfOA5KEsbG7Qc9tau12STRIhwv7XPq2UyHhcCy24r-DyMVvAQpNWw8a3OZGCGe4Kg7zyPWhRYcKKzXni7VyQzEUnxvoGzLjG5ByCXWGg9ehdSRnOwC-KMUKbjle3CJ9H9lc6vZ7Uzmd-0fkAMbUMg6PjEX_CKQpqRWnhTvClpotGW=s0-d)
