Slavery in The 21st Century

arrier to development in these countries. For example, entrepreneurs do not dare to
take risks and cannot get credit because they hold no collateral and may burden
families for generations to come.
South Asia
India was the first country to pass legislation directly prohibiting debt bondage through
the Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, 1976. [6][40][41] Less than two decades later,
Pakistan also passed a similar act in 1992 and Nepal passed the Kamaiya Labor
(Prohibition) Act in 2002. Despite the fact that these laws are in place, debt bondage in
South Asia is still widespread.
In India, the rise of Dalit activism, government legislation starting as early as 1949, as
well as ongoing work by NGOs and government offices to enforce labor laws and
rehabilitate those in debt, appears to have contributed to the reduction of bonded labor
there. However, according to research papers presented by the International Labor
Organization, there are still many obstacles to the eradication of bonded labor in India.
Sub-Saharan Africa
In many of the countries like South Africa, Nigeria, Mauritania, and Ghana in which debt
bondage is prevalent, there are not laws that either state direct prohibition or
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