Fiona David is the director of the global survey of & # 39; David Foundation) The WorkFree Foundation was founded in 2010 as an organization of human rights in Australia. Our goal is to prevent the implementation of the system of "modern slavery" in many countries. "Modern slavery" refers to a person who is exploited for freedom through threats, violence, coercion and physical force. The victim can not refuse or avoid such a situation. Because modern slaves are operated secretly, it is difficult to estimate the exact number of victims. But about 40 million people around the world are exposed to this situation. About one in four children is a child.
Reporter: You have published a report on the World Index of Slavery over the past six years. North Korea is considered the worst slave country in 2018, but it was not easy to investigate North Korea. How did you go about it?
David's survey method is very diverse compared to other countries. I can not access it. In other countries, our investigation team will go directly into the investigation. On the basis of experts, the United Nations and the US Department of State's well-established human rights report, North Korea has investigated the number of people living as modern slaves "in North Korea. But for the first time this year, we introduced a new method. I heard the testimony of North Korean refugees and it was really shocking.
Reporter) You must have heard many stories of defectors.
We met 50 North Korean deserters and women for a year, and we heard about their childhood and what they did before leaving North Korea. I was really shocked to hear about the current situation of North Korean workers and I've never heard the concept of "battle of labor". You do not have to pay your salary and work from dawn to night without interruption. Dangerous construction sites, farms and so on.
Reporter) What did you notice when you compared North Korea with other countries mentioned in this report?
Representative David. Is a point. If grandparents and their parents did something wrong with the North Korean regime, their offspring would be punished. It is dirty and dangerous, or you are forced to work in a bad place, such as a mine or a road construction site. Teachers, such as teachers, should work without pay. North Korea is a place where you really can not decide on your life.
What message do you want the report of the World Index of Slavery to convey to the international community?
David's dignity in any dialogue between the United States and North Korea, or between the international community and North Korea, and discuss human rights issues for security. The efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula are fair. But we should not neglect the issue of human rights in North Korea. When negotiating with North Korea, it is important to remember how the North Korean regime violates the human rights of its residents.
) What efforts can the international community make to improve the rights of North Korean workers?
David should not import North Korean products. This is because they support the North Korean regime for forced labor and slavery. Another important part of the Workfree Foundation concerns North Korean workers who work in Poland or in other countries of the European Union. We see North Koreans who work there as forced laborers. Therefore, the government of the country to which North Korean workers are sent has the duty and responsibility to periodically check their actual work situation.
Fiona David, International Commissioner for Research of the WorkFree Foundation, who published the 2018 World Slavery Index, works with the international community for the freedom and dignity of North Koreans living with us. I heard about North Korea. It was in an interview with a So So Young reporter.