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A very modern institution

Slavery is now illegal in every country in the world, but there are more slaves today than ever before.

Salvery: Brick kiln near Afghan border
Pakistan, India and Nepal are home to the largest number of slaves in the world - an estimated 18 million [GALLO/GETTY]
Published On 6 Oct 2011
Slavery: Four boys in a brick kiln
Aid agencies estimate that around 11 million Pakistani children aged between four and 14 are in the labour force and that half of these are under the age of 10 [GALLO/GETTY]
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Salvery: Boy in black with smoke in the background
These children make up a quarter of the unskilled work force, earning on average a third of the adult wage [GALLO/GETTY]
Slavery: Angelina Jolie tours Pakistan
Many of these children work in the country(***)s brick industry [GALLO/GETTY]
Slavery: Boy in beige in a brick kiln
They are often held as bonded labour, which can see generations of one family working in brick kilns to repay small loans [GALLO/GETTY]
Slavery: Child collecting bricks
Pakistan(***)s high birth rate makes the country(***)s child slave pool all but inexhaustible [GALLO/GETTY]
Slavery: Girl working in a brick kiln - Pakistan
Nine-year-old Mehar Jana works at a brick kiln near Peshawar in Pakistan [EPA]
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Slavery: Two men seen at a brick kiln
Environmental pollution laws are completely ignored in Pakistan, where more than 50 brick kilns located in and around the city of Peshawar alone, are violating the ban on the harmful use of rubber material as a fuel in kilns [EPA]
Slavery: Young boy working in Hyderabad kiln
The children often work in squalid conditions [EPA]
Slavery: Haiti''s children used as slaves in US
Many miles away, in Haiti, crushing poverty has seen thousands of children being placed in the abusive and exploitative system of child slavery called (***)Restavek(***) [GALLO/GETTY]
Slavery: Stop child marriage protest
In India, modern-day slavery often takes the form of bridal slavery, where millions of young women are sold into marriage before the legal age of 18 [EPA]
Slavery: Prostitution Booming In Czech Republic
Sex slaves make up an estimated six to eight per cent of the global slave trade. Prostitution is a thriving business in the Czech Republic, making it a major transit point for criminal gangs trafficking women from eastern Europe into western Europe [GALLO/GETTY]
Slavery: Sex slaves behind bars in Israeli prison
In 2003, Israeli police arrested 54 women during raids on brothels, most of whom were from eastern Europe and Russia, brought to Israel as sex slaves and sold to brothels for about $5,000 each [GALLO/GETTY]
Slavery: Filipino comfort women protest
Filipino (***)comfort women(***) protest to highlight the plight of women who were used as sex slaves by Japanese soldiers during World War II [GALLO/GETTY]
Slavery: Ruined brothel in China
According to historical documents, approximately 200,000 Asian women and young girls were forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II [GALLO/GETTY]
Slavery: I was raped (comfort woman)
(***)Comfort women(***), most of whom are now in their 80s, have been campaigning for recognition and compensation by the Japanese government [GALLO/GETTY]
Slavery: Protest against sexual slavery by Japan
Eighty-year-old Gil Won Ok from South Korea was held as a sex slave by the Japanese military during World War II [GALLO/GETTY]