Using Big Data and Quantitative Methods to Estimate and Fight Modern Day Slavery

Given the hidden, criminal nature of contemporary slavery, empirically estimating the proportion of the population enslaved at the national and global level is a challenge. At the same time, little is understood about what happens to the lives of the survivors of slavery once they are free. I discus...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The SAIS review of international affairs 2014-01, Vol.34 (1), p.21-33
Main Author: Datta, Monti Narayan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Crime and criminals
Information Dissemination
Methodology (Data Analysis)
Methodology (Data Collection)
Nongovernmental Organizations
Offenders
Population
Quantitative Methods
Slavery
Victims
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Summary:Given the hidden, criminal nature of contemporary slavery, empirically estimating the proportion of the population enslaved at the national and global level is a challenge. At the same time, little is understood about what happens to the lives of the survivors of slavery once they are free. I discuss some data collection methods from two nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) I have worked with that shed light on these issues. The first NGO, the Walk Free Foundation, estimates that there are about 30 million enslaved in the world today. The second NGO, Free the Slaves, employs a longitudinal analysis to chronicle the lives of survivors. The acquisition and dissemination of such information is crucial because policymakers and donors sometimes require hard data before committing time, political will, and resources to the cause.
ISSN:1945-4716
1945-4724
1945-4724
DOI:10.1353/sais.2014.0013