Human Slavery: Where it is still practiced today
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Slavery is still practiced:Anti-Slavery International was founded in 1839, as the world's first
and international human rights organization. They reported in mid-2003 that:
"Millions of men, women and children around the world are forced to
lead lives as slaves. Although this exploitation is often not called slavery,
the conditions are the same. People are sold like objects, forced to work for
little or no pay and are at the mercy of their 'employers'...."
And, as examples:
"Women from eastern
Europe are bonded into prostitution, children are trafficked between West
African countries and men are forced to work as slaves on Brazilian agricultural
estates. Contemporary slavery takes various forms and affects people of all
ages, sexes and races." 1
The United Nations' web site has an article titled "Remember Slavery" which states:
"For over 400 years, more than 15 million men, women and children were the victims of the tragic transatlantic slave trade, one of the darkest chapters in human history.
Every year on 25 March, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. The International Day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today."
Laws against slavery and near-slavery:Slavery is banned by laws and the constitutions of most countries in the
world -- even in those countries where it is still practiced. It is also
prohibited by the:
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UN Slavery Convention in 1926 2
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International Labour Organization's Forced Labour Convention of
1930
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Universal Declaration of Human Rights in
1948
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Protocol amending the Slavery Convention signed at Geneva on 25
September 1926 in 1953 3
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UN Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave
Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery in 1956. 4
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International Labour Organisation's Abolition of Forced Labour
Convention in 1959. |
The U.S. federal "Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of
2000" was enacted to:
"combat trafficking in persons, especially into the sex trade, slavery and
involuntary servitude..." 5
The first charge of using
forced labor under the U.S. law were brought in mid-2002. 6 Eleven
workers from Mexico were allegedly brought to northern New York State and kept
in near-slavery.
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Current and recent incidences of large-scale slavery and near-slavery: | Sudan: There is considerable evidence that slavery is still practiced
in a large scale in Sudan -- an estimated
14,000 people have been abducted since 1983. However, the existence of
slavery is denied by
the Sudanese government. Some western religious groups have attempted
to buy freedom for individual slaves. Unfortunately, this has become
counterproductive. It increases the profitability of enslavement as a
commercial
enterprise, and results in more slaves being created. More details.
| | Niger: Anti-Slavery International reported in mid-2003 that
slavery was rampant in Niger, mostly in the southwestern Tillaberry
region of that country. 7 This occurs even though slavery s prohibited
by the constitution and was being fought by stringent new laws. About 7% of the
population -- some 870,000 individuals are condemned to life-long
servitude. Many are born into slavery and will remain slaves all of
their life.
| | Programs of near-slavery: Anti-Slavery
International (ASI) presented a paper to the United
Nations Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery which met
in Geneva, Switzerland, 2003-JUN-16 to 20. 8 All of
the major offending countries cited have large Hindu or Muslim
majorities. ASI discussed the situation in Sudan and Niger as well as
describing situations of near-slavery such as:
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United Arab Emirates -- Child trafficking:
Although it is illegal to employ a child under the age of 15, hundreds
of boys between four and ten are trafficked from South Asia to the UAE
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India, Nepal and Pakistan -- Millions of men,
women and children are used as forced and bonded labor in these
countries. Most are dalit or from a low caste, or are from
indigenous or minority groups. Laws against the caste system and
against bonded labor exist but are not widely enforced.
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Indonesia -- Forced labor and exploitation of
migrant workers. "Poverty and lack of opportunity in Indonesia have
increased the number of Indonesians seeking work in Asia. Indonesia's
lack of protection and the Government's existing system for women
migrant domestics exposes them to trafficking and slavery." 8 |
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 The U.S. Department of State issues a Trafficking in Persons Report on
a yearly basis, typically during June. It follows the cover format similar to the 2005 report shown above. 9,10 Their 2019 report
states:
"Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes on Earth. Right now traffickers are robbing a staggering 24.9 million people of their freedom and basic human dignity â€" that’s roughly three times the population of New York City. We must band together and build momentum to defeat human trafficking. We must hold the perpetrators of this heinous crime accountable. We must achieve justice for survivors as they rebuild their lives. We must reinvigorate our shared commitment to extinguish human trafficking wherever it exists. There is no time to waste."
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended (TVPA), defines “severe forms of trafficking in persons†as:
"... sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in 
which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or
the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. 10
The State Department rates most of the countries in the world on a three tier format. They rated 14 countries at Tier 3. These are
countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards of
the U.S. federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) and are not making significant efforts to do so: Bolivia,
Burma, Cambodia, Cuba, Ecuador, Jamaica, Kuwait, North Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Togo, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Their 2020-JUN report is also available online. 10
Non-profit groups working to combat slavery:
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Anti-Slavery International, Thomas Clarkson House, The Stableyard,
Broomgrove Road, London, UK, SW9 9TL. Telephone: +44 (0)20 7501 8920.
Fax: +44 (0)20 7738 4110. E-mail: info@antislavery.org
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Free the Slaves, 1326 14th St. NW, Washington,
DC 20005, USA. Telephone: 1.866.324.FREE. and 202.588.1865. Fax:
202.588.1514. E-mail: info@freetheslaves.net |
Site navigation:
References used:The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
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"What is modern slavery?," Anti-Slavery International, at: http://www.antislavery.org/
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The text of the "Slavery Convention" is at: http://www.hri.ca/
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The text of the "Protocol amending the Slavery Convention signed at
Geneva on 25 September 1926," is at: http://www.hri.ca/
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The text of the "Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of
Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to
Slavery" is at: http://www.hri.ca/
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Steven Greenhouse, "Migrant-Camp Operators Face Forced Labor
Charges," New York Times, 2002-JUN-21, at: http://www.freetheslaves.net/
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"Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000" at: http://www.freetheslaves.net/ You need software to read this file. It can be obtained free from:
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"Slavery flourishing despite strong laws," The Toronto Star, "Rights
Watch" section, 2003-JUN-22, Page F4.
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"United Nations meeting reveals slavery's global scale,"
Anti-Slavery International, at: http://www.antislavery.org/
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"Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Action to End
Modern-Day Slavery," U.S. Department of State, at: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/
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"Trafficking in Persons Report," Office to Monitor and Combat
Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State, 2020, at:https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020-TIP-Report-Complete-062420-FINAL.pdf
Copyright © 1999 to 2020 by
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2020-JAN-04
Author: B.A. Robinson
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References used:The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
How you may have arrived here:
Copyright © 2019 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Original posting: 2019-
Latest update: 2019-
Author: B.A. Robinson
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