400 Slaves Working In Iceland

New research has brought to light the use of forced labour in countries around the world, and Iceland is no exception.

The Global Slavery Index is the result of extensive research conducted by Gallup in countries around the world. The index aims to assess the use of forced labour in select countries, and measures what that country is doing, if anything, to combat it.

According to their findings, RÚV reports, there are some 400 people in Iceland right now working as slaves. While Iceland appears rather low on the list regarding the proportion of the population held in slavery, Iceland still has a higher proportion of slaves than countries such as the United States, Brazil and most western European counties.

A slave is defined in this research as anyone who cannot leave their work due to threats, the use of violence, abuse of power or fraud.

Cases of forced labour have been making more headlines in Iceland lately, extending from industries such as construction, tourism, and manufacturing. In some cases, loopholes in Icelandic law can hinder effective prosecution.