GENEVA: UN agencies and partners say some 40 million people were ensnared by modern slavery last year, decrying a scourge that disproportionately affects women and girls.

The new report by the UN's labor organization, ILO, and the migration agency IOM found that women and girls accounted for 29 million of those affected by modern slavery, or more than seven in 10 people overall.

Of the total, 25 million people were victims of forced labor, and 15 million victims of forced marriages. A companion study from ILO found that 152 million children aged 5 to 17 were subject to child labor.

Authors say the data came from face-to-face interviews with more than 71,000 people aged 15 or older.