India too at risk as modern-day slavery makes a comeback amid an economic fallout

The risk of modern slavery in Asian manufacturing hubs has surged and is set to worsen with the economic impact of the new coronavirus, increased labour rights violations and poor law enforcement, a global index found on Friday.

For the first time, India and Bangladesh were in the "extreme risk" category, joining China and Myanmar in a group of 32 countries with the worst risk of slave labour, the Modern Slavery index by risk analytics company Verisk Maplecroft found.

"What makes the situation even more alarming is that modern slavery risks are set to intensify as countries grapple with the economic fallout of the pandemic," said Sofia Nazalya, a human rights Analyst at Verisk Maplecroft.

About 60 million people work in Asia's garment industry and falling sales have put many jobs at risk. Laid-off workers are likely to turn to exploitative jobs or may put their children to work to cope with the loss of earnings, industry experts say.

"Even in the same jobs, the conditions have become more exploitative," said Apoorva Kaiwar, Regional Secretary for South Asia at IndustriALL Global Union, a federation that represents workers in 140 countries. "Our affiliates have reported wage cuts in existing jobs as well as removal of facilities such as transport and canteen with subsidised food. For those who have lost jobs, they are unable to find jobs with comparable wages and benefits."