08 Apr 2026

Modern slavery risks rise as conflicts across Europe, Africa, and West Asia reach highest level since WWII

Global violence has reached its highest level since World War II. With 59 active conflicts across Europe, Africa, and West Asia, war and displacement are increasing modern slavery risks.

Displaced families return to their areas following the takeover of the city of Uvira by the M23, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on December 13, 2025.
Displaced families return to their areas following the takeover of the city of Uvira by the M23, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on December 13, 2025. Photo Credit: Jospin Mwisha / AFP via Getty Images.

War is again reshaping global power dynamics, as conflicts reach their highest level since the Second World War for the second year running. Alongside the immediate humanitarian impact is the increased risk of modern slavery as displacement and instability grow.

There are 59 active state-based conflicts across Europe, Africa, and West Asia, according to the Global Peace Index 2025.

Violence at this scale is forcing millions of people from their homes. More than 122 million people have been forcibly displaced in their own countries or across international borders.

Conflict disrupts governance, economies, and communities, creating conditions where modern slavery risks increase. Armed groups and traffickers often exploit the instability created by war.

Humanitarian responses must address modern slavery risks alongside urgent needs such as shelter, food, and medical care to protect people affected by conflict from further exploitation.

Conflict creates conditions where modern slavery can increase

Peace has declined in 100 countries since 2014, reflecting the scale and spread of conflict worldwide.

Conflict can cause justice systems to collapse and law enforcement to become ineffective. Communities can lose access to livelihoods and social support.

These conditions increase the risk of forced labour, trafficking, forced marriage, and sexual exploitation.

Common pathways into modern slavery during conflict include:

  1. People being targeted by traffickers along their journey while attempting to escape.
  2. People not receiving the protection needed from modern slavery at displacement sites, such as camps.
  3. People being forcibly recruited to fight, forcibly married to fighters, or forced to perform labour or sexual services.
  4. Children being forced to marry as a method of protecting them against sexual violence by armed groups or due to extreme economic insecurity.

Countries experiencing prolonged conflict face the highest vulnerability to modern slavery

Countries affected by long-term violence consistently face some of the highest vulnerability to modern slavery.

Countries like the US have historically taken more action to combat modern slavery, but have also launched several military operations that exacerbate risks in other countries.

The latest Global Slavery Index found strong links between conflict, instability, and exploitation.

Examples include Afghanistan, Syria, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Pakistan, Iraq, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Libya.

How conflict increases exploitation risks

In the past 5 years, 98 countries have been involved in external conflicts, highlighting how violence increasingly crosses borders and affects large populations.

Conflict can increase vulnerability to exploitation, while stronger protections can help reduce these risks.

  • In Lebanon, Israel’s escalating attacks and invasion of Southern Lebanon, as well as ongoing economic instability, are increasing exploitation risks for vulnerable people, such as refugees and migrant workers. Conflict and financial collapse can leave some workers stranded without housing, identity documents, or financial support, while the Kafala-tied visa system gives significant power to employers and increases workers’ vulnerability to coercion.
  • In Iran, the military strikes against civilian infrastructure led by the US, alongside acute economic and political unrest, are increasing vulnerability to exploitation. Rising living costs, currency instability, and fewer job opportunities can push people into precarious work, while weak labour protections and restricted information flows make exploitation harder to detect.
  • In Ukraine, the protracted war following Russia’s 2022 invasion increased the risk of human trafficking, yet no significant rise in identified victims has been recorded. Early anti-trafficking measures, a functioning government, and the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive helped reduce risks, although exploitation may still be underreported in some areas.
  • In Myanmar, there has been a brutal crackdown on fundamental freedoms and genocidal violence against Rohingya communities following the 2021 military coup, internally displacing 3.5 million people. Another 1.4 million people have been displaced to other countries, where poor conditions in camps have increased risks of trafficking and forced marriage. Ongoing conflict has driven forced recruitment to armed groups of both adults and children, and exploitation, such as forced labour and forced scamming.

These examples highlight the importance of integrating protections against modern slavery into humanitarian responses.

Modern conflicts are becoming more complex and internationalised

Deaths from internal conflict have increased by more than 438% over the past 17 years, highlighting how internal wars are intensifying globally.

In 17 countries, over 5% of the population are refugees or have been internally displaced, leaving millions without stable access to livelihoods, protection systems, or basic services.

Preventing modern slavery must be part of humanitarian responses

Preventing modern slavery must become a core part of humanitarian action in conflict settings.

Walk Free has supported guidance developed by the Global Protection Cluster and the UN Human Rights Council to strengthen how humanitarian actors respond to trafficking and exploitation risks in displacement crises.

The work makes sure:

  • protection actors understand the fundamentals of anti-trafficking,
  • anti-trafficking action is embedded across humanitarian responses,
  • and responses improve how trafficking in crisis settings is identified and addressed.

This supports efforts to strengthen UN procurement systems to mitigate and eradicate trafficking risks in supply chains.

This has helped the Ukraine Protection Cluster implement targeted anti-trafficking initiatives.

Recommendations for humanitarian actors

  1. Mainstream protection through the lens of slavery-related exploitation across the humanitarian architecture.
  2. Provide needs-based, protection-specific assistance in areas of high displacement to reduce risk factors and vulnerability to slavery-related exploitation.
  3. Activate specific and safe referral and incident reporting mechanisms.
  4. Provide foundational capacity-building to frontline humanitarian actors on concepts of modern slavery.
  5. Undertake strategic communications and awareness-raising with populations at high risk of displacement, through a whole of community approach.
  6. Strengthen the evidence base on forced labour, human trafficking, and other protection issues in humanitarian settings.
  7. Activate accountability and justice mechanisms for victims and survivors.
  8. Implement the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children’s recommendation of early warning and early screening frameworks for potential or imminent risk of trafficking, especially in managed camps.

You can read the Global Peace Index 2025 by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

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