Modern Slavery Exists – and Must be Eradicated
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Image by Valiant Made.
The idea of slavery in modern times is a foreign concept for most Westerners. Of course, the Black Lives Matter movement was built on the continuing problem of racism and the 1640 movement aimed to remind the public of the origins of slavery in America.
But most people would be surprised to know that several forms of slavery continue to exist in many countries around the world – including in the United States.
According to the Global Slavery Index (2023), over 50 million people are forced to live in conditions of modern slavery.
India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia have high numbers of people forced into modern slavery, mainly due to the large populations and economic disparities in these countries.
Much of the modern slavery there occurs in industries such as textiles, agriculture, manufacturing, and construction. For example, garment factories and brick kilns are known to exploit workers, forcing them to work long hours for low pay.
Sub-Saharan African countries such as Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mauritania are notable for several forms of slavery including child labor, forced labor in mining, and traditional practices of being born into slavery.
In the Middle East, countries like Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia have serious issues with migrant labor exploitation through the Kafala, or sponsorship, system, mainly in construction. These countries engage in forced labor of millions of foreign workers who live in squalid conditions and work long hours for low pay.
Latin America and Caribbean countries such as Brazil, Venezuela, and Haiti are also known to have thousands of people in forced labor and trafficking.
Australia and Papua New Guinea have reported cases of forced labor, especially among migrant workers and Indigenous communities.
Perhaps many people already know about slavery that takes place in the above-mentioned countries, but the next ones on the list may come as a surprise to many.
Believe it or not, modern slavery exists in wealthier countries like the UK, Germany, and Italy. Many of these modern slaves are victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced labor.
North America is just as guilty. The United States and Canada have hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, desperate Eastern European women, and underage homeless girls all of whom are slaves to pimps, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, and forced labor in agriculture, domestic work, and numerous other illegal activities.
Clearly, millions of unfortunate people around the world are slaves in agriculture, construction, and manufacturing.
They are forced into being trafficked for sexual exploitation, labor, and even – horrifyingly enough – for their organs.
Workers trapped by debts, especially in South Asia, are forced to work, sometimes for many months, to pay off their debts.
Forced child labor is common in mining, agriculture, and domestic work Many women and girls are forced into underage or unwanted marriages.
There are efforts to combat modern slavery in Europe and the United States, but it is not nearly enough to combat the scourge of abuse that takes place every day.
In 2021, the European Commission adopted a new EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings (2021-2025). The purpose of the strategy is to focus on prevention, prosecution, and protection for trafficking victims.
The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) requires European companies to identify and address human rights abuses, including forced labor, in their supply chains. It places the onus of responsibility on them to recognize and report any abuses, and violations of human rights.
Countries like the UK have introduced specific legislation, such as the Modern Slavery Act (2015), which also mandates businesses to disclose efforts to prevent slavery in their operations.
In the United States, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) is meant to fight modern slavery and specifically notes that “modern prohibitions of human trafficking in the United States have their roots in the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which barred slavery and involuntary servitude in 1865.”
In 2021, former President Joe Biden also passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which prohibits the importation of goods produced in Xinjiang, China, where forced labor is widespread.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was created with the power to issue Withhold Release Orders (WROs) to block imports linked to forced labor.
To enforce its laws against modern slavery, the U.S. deploys its Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI, both of which lead efforts to identify trafficking networks.
The U.S. Department of Labor investigates labor violations and maintains a list of goods made with child or forced labor.
However, despite the efforts by the United States and Europe to stem the phenomenon of modern slavery, there continue to be gaps in recognition of the problem, enforcement, and judicial consequences for violations. Many victims are still left helpless and without sufficient governmental protection, forcing them to remain reliant on their abusers, pimps, or traffickers.
We must do more to eradicate modern slavery.
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