WHAT IS MODERN SLAVERY?

Slavery did not end with abolition in the 19th century.

The practice still continues today in one form or another in every

country in the world. From women forced into prostitution, children and adults forced to work in agriculture, domestic work, or factories and

sweatshops producing goods for global supply chains, entire families forced to work for nothing to pay off generational debts; or girls forced

to marry older men, the illegal practice still blights contemporary world.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) around 21 million men, women and children around the world are in a form of

slavery.

There are many different characteristics that distinguish slavery from

other human rights violations, however only one needs to be present for slavery to exist. Someone is in slavery if they are:

forced to work - through mental or physical threat;

owned or controlled by an 'employer', usually through mental or

physical abuse or the threat of abuse;

dehumanised, treated as a commodity or bought and sold as

'property';

physically constrained or has restrictions placed on his/her

freedom of movement. Contemporary slavery takes various forms and affects people of all ages, gender and races.

WHAT FORMS OF SLAVERY EXIST TODAY?

Bonded labour

Child slavery

Early and forced marriage

Forced labour

Descent-based slavery

Trafficking Many forms of slavery involve more than one element or form listed

above. For example, trafficking often involves an advance payment for

the trip and organising a promised job abroad which is borrowed from

the traffickers. Once at the destination, the debt incurred serves as an

element of controlling the victims as they are told they cannot leave the

job until the debt is paid off.

CLASSWORK:

1. How is the slavery nowadays?

2. Compare the slavery with the colony epoch and nowadays

3. What do you think about the child slavery? Why?

4. Explain what is trafficking?

5. Tell if you know somebody that was discriminated.