NFT art auction fundraiser in Hong Kong to raise awareness of human trafficking, modern slavery and forced labour
- NFT artists join the Mekong Club in an auction to raise awareness and funds to end modern slavery and human trafficking – a US$150 billion shadow industry
- There are an estimated 50 million people caught up in slavery; a number that has increased by 10 million since the Covid pandemic began
The pandemic forced many people into desperate and vulnerable situations, including modern slavery, the umbrella term used to describe human trafficking, slavery and slavery-like practices.
“During Covid, the number of people in modern slavery increased to 50 million globally and it’s partly because of desperation,” says Matthew Friedman, founder of the Mekong Club, a Hong Kong-based non-profit organisation that addresses modern slavery and related crimes, such as human trafficking and forced labour.
That figure has risen almost 10 million since five years ago.
Modern slavery is an easy trap to fall into. As an example, Friedman says, a woman in Bangladesh with a good factory job, who is supporting herself and her family, is suddenly out of work because the factory closed during the pandemic.
“She goes through her savings, borrows money, and can’t pay back the lenders, who say, ‘Well, I need a family member, they’re going to have to come with me’, and they end up in a brothel, or on a boat or something else,” he says. “So that desperation has significantly increased modern slavery.”