03/12: Modern Slavery; Modern Abolitionism
Category: America and the World
Posted by: an okie gardener
Slavery is not a thing of the past. Around the world, including in the USA, slavery continues. When teaching US History leading up to the Civil War, my college students usually have the attitude of "how could those people not see slavery was wrong?", and assume they would have been abolitionists. The room gets really quiet when I challenge them with the facts on modern slavery and ask them if they are in the modern abolition movement.
From The 2007 U.S. State Department Report on Human Trafficking:
The Scope and Nature of Modern-Day Slavery
The common denominator of trafficking scenarios is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit a person for profit. A victim can be subjected to labor exploitation, sexual exploitation, or both. Labor exploitation includes slavery, forced labor, and debt bondage. Sexual exploitation typically includes abuse within the commercial sex industry. In other cases, victims are exploited in private homes by individuals who often demand sex as well as work. The use of force or coercion can be direct and violent or psychological.
A wide range of estimates exists on the scope and magnitude of modern-day slavery. The International Labor Organization (ILO )-the United Nations agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection issues-estimates there are 12.3 million people in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude at any given time; other estimates range from 4 million to 27 million.
Annually, according to U.S. Government-sponsored research completed in 2006, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across national borders, which does not include millions trafficked within their own countries. Approximately 80 percent of transnational victims are women and girls and up to 50 percent are minors. The majority of transnational victims are females trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation. These numbers do not include millions of female and male victims around the world who are trafficked within their own national borders-the majority for forced or bonded labor.
Human traffickers prey on the vulnerable. Their targets are often children and young women, and their ploys are creative and ruthless, designed to trick, coerce, and win the confidence of potential victims. Very often these ruses involve promises of a better life through marriage, employment, or educational opportunities.
The nationalities of trafficked people are as diverse as the world's cultures. Some leave developing countries, seeking to improve their lives through low-skilled jobs in more prosperous countries. Others fall victim to forced or bonded labor in their own countries. Women eager for a better future are susceptible to promises of jobs abroad as babysitters, housekeepers, waitresses, or models--jobs that traffickers turn into the nightmare of prostitution without exit. Some families give children to adults, often relatives, who promise education and opportunity, but sell the children into exploitative situations instead.
Some sources of information for modern abolitionists:
Anti-Slavery International here.
For all the criticism I have made of the mainline Presbyterian Church (PC-USA), they are becoming aware of this issue.
The Christian relief group, WorldVision is active on this issue, especially with child slavery.
This documentary, Lives for Sale, should be shown in every possible venue.
The U.S. State Department's 2007 Human Trafficking Report has been released.
The Report lists countries by groups termed Tiers based on their efforts against, or lack of efforts, to eliminate slavery. Tier 3 are the worst countries.
Tier 3
ALGERIA, BAHRAIN, BURMA, CUBA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, IRAN, KUWAIT, MALAYSIA, NORTH KOREA, OMAN, QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA, SUDAN, SYRIA, UZBEKISTAN, VENEZUELA
The Tier 2 Watch List is made of of countries that are currently of interest to the U.S. regarding slavery. It is like being on probation. In future reports they may move up to Tier 2, or down to Tier 3.
Tier 2 Watch List
ARGENTINA, ARMENIA, BELARUS, BURUNDI, CAMBODIA, CENTRAL AFRICAN REP., CHAD, CHINA (PRC), CYPRUS, DJIBOUTI, DOMINICAN REP., EGYPT, FIJI, THE GAMBIA, GUATEMALA, GUYANA, HONDURAS, INDIA, KAZAKHSTAN, KENYA, LIBYA, MACAU, MAURITANIA, MEXICO, MOLDOVA, MOZAMBIQUE, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, RUSSIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SRI LANKA, UKRAINE, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Keep these countries in mind as you Christmas shop.
Previous Bosque Boys posts on modern Slavery:
Slavery Today
Islam and Slavery
North Korea's Human Slavery Traffic
From The 2007 U.S. State Department Report on Human Trafficking:
The Scope and Nature of Modern-Day Slavery
The common denominator of trafficking scenarios is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit a person for profit. A victim can be subjected to labor exploitation, sexual exploitation, or both. Labor exploitation includes slavery, forced labor, and debt bondage. Sexual exploitation typically includes abuse within the commercial sex industry. In other cases, victims are exploited in private homes by individuals who often demand sex as well as work. The use of force or coercion can be direct and violent or psychological.
A wide range of estimates exists on the scope and magnitude of modern-day slavery. The International Labor Organization (ILO )-the United Nations agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection issues-estimates there are 12.3 million people in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude at any given time; other estimates range from 4 million to 27 million.
Annually, according to U.S. Government-sponsored research completed in 2006, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across national borders, which does not include millions trafficked within their own countries. Approximately 80 percent of transnational victims are women and girls and up to 50 percent are minors. The majority of transnational victims are females trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation. These numbers do not include millions of female and male victims around the world who are trafficked within their own national borders-the majority for forced or bonded labor.
Human traffickers prey on the vulnerable. Their targets are often children and young women, and their ploys are creative and ruthless, designed to trick, coerce, and win the confidence of potential victims. Very often these ruses involve promises of a better life through marriage, employment, or educational opportunities.
The nationalities of trafficked people are as diverse as the world's cultures. Some leave developing countries, seeking to improve their lives through low-skilled jobs in more prosperous countries. Others fall victim to forced or bonded labor in their own countries. Women eager for a better future are susceptible to promises of jobs abroad as babysitters, housekeepers, waitresses, or models--jobs that traffickers turn into the nightmare of prostitution without exit. Some families give children to adults, often relatives, who promise education and opportunity, but sell the children into exploitative situations instead.
Some sources of information for modern abolitionists:
Anti-Slavery International here.
For all the criticism I have made of the mainline Presbyterian Church (PC-USA), they are becoming aware of this issue.
The Christian relief group, WorldVision is active on this issue, especially with child slavery.
This documentary, Lives for Sale, should be shown in every possible venue.
The U.S. State Department's 2007 Human Trafficking Report has been released.
The Report lists countries by groups termed Tiers based on their efforts against, or lack of efforts, to eliminate slavery. Tier 3 are the worst countries.
Tier 3
ALGERIA, BAHRAIN, BURMA, CUBA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, IRAN, KUWAIT, MALAYSIA, NORTH KOREA, OMAN, QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA, SUDAN, SYRIA, UZBEKISTAN, VENEZUELA
The Tier 2 Watch List is made of of countries that are currently of interest to the U.S. regarding slavery. It is like being on probation. In future reports they may move up to Tier 2, or down to Tier 3.
Tier 2 Watch List
ARGENTINA, ARMENIA, BELARUS, BURUNDI, CAMBODIA, CENTRAL AFRICAN REP., CHAD, CHINA (PRC), CYPRUS, DJIBOUTI, DOMINICAN REP., EGYPT, FIJI, THE GAMBIA, GUATEMALA, GUYANA, HONDURAS, INDIA, KAZAKHSTAN, KENYA, LIBYA, MACAU, MAURITANIA, MEXICO, MOLDOVA, MOZAMBIQUE, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, RUSSIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SRI LANKA, UKRAINE, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Keep these countries in mind as you Christmas shop.
Previous Bosque Boys posts on modern Slavery:
Slavery Today
Islam and Slavery
North Korea's Human Slavery Traffic
