Armenia Ranked 57th in Global Slavery Index

Armenia is ranked 57th in the Global Slavery Index 2013 prepared by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation and released on Thursday. According to the Index, 10 000 to 11 000 people live in slavery in Armenia.

Georgia and Azerbaijan are placed 50th and 51st respectively, Russia is 49th. Turkey and Iran are ranked 90th and 103rd respectively.

The Global Slavery Index provides a ranking of 162 countries, reflecting a combined measure of three factors: estimated prevalence of modern slavery by population, a measure of child marriage, and a measure of human trafficking in and out of a country. The measure is heavily weighted to reflect the first factor, prevalence. A number one ranking is the worst, 160 is the best.

The Global Slavery Index 2013 defines slavery as the possession or control of people to deny freedom and exploit them for profit or sex, usually through violence, coercion or deception. The definition includes indentured servitude, forced marriage and the abduction of children to serve in wars.

The countries with the highest numbers of enslaved people are India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Taken together, these countries account for 76% of the total estimate of 29.8 million in modern slavery.

At the other end of the scale, Iceland has the lowest estimated prevalence with fewer than 100 slaves.

Next best are Ireland, Britain, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Finland and Denmark, although researchers said slave numbers in such wealthy countries were higher than previously thought.

Read more about the Global Slavery Index, overview and country by country reports here: www.globalslaveryindex.org