U.N. agency said 21M men, women, children enslaved worldwide UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Countries must unite to end modern forms of slavery, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in New York on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. "It is vital that we give special consideration to ending modern-day slavery and servitude, which affects the poorest, most socially excluded groups, including migrants, women, discriminated ethnic groups, minorities and indigenous peoples," Ban said in his message Monday. The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, observed on Dec. 2, marks the date in 1949 when the U.N. General Assembly adopted the U.N. Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. The focus of the day is on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, such as human trafficking, sexual exploitation, child labor, forced marriage and forced recruitment of children for use in combat. The U.N. International Labor Organization said roughly 21 million women, men and children are enslaved worldwide. Ban noted progress has been made in the last year, including stronger legislation and greater coordination by a number of countries to combat slavery. Also, he said, more businesses were working to ensure their activities neither cause nor contribute to modern-day forms of slavery in the workplace and supply chains.