No Escape: Assessing the relationship between slavery-related abuse and internal displacement in Nigeria, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

There is a growing understanding that conflict and displacement increases vulnerability to forms of slavery-related abuse, including forced labour, forced recruitment into armed groups and armed forces, forced marriage and human trafficking. In recent years, this issue has received increased attention internationally and wide acknowledgement that it warrants urgent attention. Despite this recognition, few organizations have sought to quantify these abuses among persons displaced by conflict. Without such data, it is difficult to accurately allocate resources and formulate policies to remedy these abuses.

To address this data shortage, the International Labour Organization, IOM and Walk Free have set out to provide prevalence estimates of these forms of slavery-related abuse among people who experienced displacement in three countries – Nigeria, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – each of which has endured protracted conflict that continues to uproot people and force them to seek refuge largely in camps, camp-like settings and host communities. In addition to estimating prevalence, this study sought to better understand the nature of assessed forms of slavery-related abuse in relation to displacement experiences, and to explore the relationship between individual-level and external factors associated with these forms of slavery-related abuse.