Slavery: a relationship of dominance and submission, whereby one person owns another and can exact from that person labor or service.
The slave trade was one of the ugliest chapters in the world history and has left an mark on societies, cultures, and peoples all over the world.
Although many people think of slavery and enslavement only as something of the past, it isn't. Not only are we still living with the legacies of historical slavery, but millions of women, children, and men around the world are still trapped in slavery today.
Slavery has been abolished all over the world and under international law it is illegal to make someone your slave. But women from Eastern Europe are bonded into domestic labor or prostitution, children are trafficked between West African countries and men are forced to work as slaves on Brazilian estate farms. These people are enslaved because existing laws are not enforced.
Public perception of " Modern Slavery " is often confused with reports of workers in low-wage jobs or inhumane working conditions. However, " Modern-Day Slavery " slaves differ from these workers because they are forced to work under the threat of violence. Slavery is still a part of the fabric of human society and not a relic of the past.
The enslavement of the " Dinkas in Southern Sudan " may be the most horrific and well-known example of contemporary slavery. According to 1993 U.S. State Department estimates, up to 90,000 blacks are owned by North American Arabs, and often sold as property in a thriving slave trade for as little a $15. per human being.
Animist tribes in Southern Sudan are frequently invaded by the Militias from the North, who kill the men and enslave the women and children. The Arabs consider it a traditional right to enslave Southerners, and to own Dinka slaves.
Physical mutilation is practiced upon these slaves, not only to prevent escapes but to enforce the owner's ideologies. According to an ASI report: On, a 13 year old Dinka boy, was abducted by Arab Nomads and taken to a merchants house. There he found several Dinka men hobbling, their Achilles tendons cut because they refused to become Muslims. Threatened with the same treatment the boy converted.
Children from India are kidnapped from their villages when they are as young as 5 years old. Between 200,000 and 300,000 children are held captive in locked rooms and forced to weave on looms for food. In India as well as other countries, the issue of slavery is exacerbated by a rigid caste system.
The International Labor Rights and Education Fund is one organization that has rescued many of these child slaves. The group recalls this scene: Children work in damp pits near the looms. Potable water is often unavailable and food consists of chapatis ( bread balls), onions and salt. The children often are made to sleep on the ground next to their looms. They work an average of 10-14 hours a day.
Pakistan is considered the leader in bonded labor and many of the bonded labourers are shackled in " leg-irons ". In 1992 a law was passed by the Pakistani government to bar landlords from holding hostages for their debts. The Human Rights Commission has freed approximately 7,500 bonded labourers since 1995. But it is estimated that roughly 50,000 labourers are still bonded in Southern Singh.
In the Dominican Republic, the collection of slaves for the harvest season is more random. The Dominican army, with the support of the State Sugar Council known as CEA, hauls Haitians off public buses, arrests them in their homes or at their jobs, and delivers them to the cane fields. The army captives are forced to work at gun point and beaten if they try to escape.
In Niger, slavery was only criminalized in 2003 -and the local human rights organization Timidria estimates 870,000 people are still held in bondage there. The masters control the slaves totally, exploiting their labor, abusing them sexually and physically, and often forcing them to mate with other slaves so that their children are born into slavery. Slaves in Niger are actually considered by their masters as animals.
Slavery exists in our world today and it is a growing problem that needs to be rectified. The video to the link below offers a more detailed and descriptive explanation as to how serious the problem really is. The video starts off very mild and then it gets down to the business of slavery and it is very interesting to hear.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid431790421/bclid431783010/bctid533390757