Slavery NOW!

The best account of modern slavery is given by Professor Kevin Bales in his award winning book called The Disposable People: Slavery in the Age of Globalization, where he argues that “ once officially abolished slavery was transformed: adopted as an illicit enterprise , it has mirrored changes in the general economy. No longer viewed as property, people today are seen merely as disposable inputs into production”.Kevin Bales, who is the president of Free the Slaves, defines slavery as “The complete control of a person for economic exploitation by violence or the threat of violence”. Taking this definition into account, Bales’s “best estimate of the number of slaves in the world today is 27 million. Where are all these slaves? An estimated 15 to 20 million are bonded laborers in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. The remainder is concentrated in Southeast Asia, Northern and Western Africa, and parts of South America, though slavery can be found in almost every country in the world including the United States, Japan, and many European countries. Today's total slave population is greater than the population of Canada and nearly five times greater than the population of Israel.”Some other estimates however place the number of slaves in the range of 200 million. These slaves are engaged in work such carper weaving, sex trade, cocoa farming, carpets, fireworks, jewellery, metal goods, steel (made with slave produced charcoal), and foods such as grains, rice and sugar are exported directly to North America and Europe after being produced using slave labor. Presence of slavery in the industry keeps wages low and increases the profits of the manufacturers. The ongoing campaigns such American Anti- Slavery Group, Anti -Slavery International, Free the Slaves and Anti- Slavery Society are enough to speak volumes about this evil and its presence in the ‘modern’ world we are living in. According to the research of Kevin Bales, who is the world's leading expert on Modern slavery and President of Free the slaves, which is the US sister organization of Anti- Slavery International (the world’s oldest human rights organization), classifies slavery into three forms:
“Chattel Slavery is the form closest to old slavery. A person is captured, born, or sold into permanent servitude, and ownership is often asserted. The slave's children are normally treated as property as well and can be sold by the slaveholder. Occasionally, these slaves are kept as items of conspicuous consumption. This form is most often found in Northern and Western Africa and some Arab countries, but represents a small proportion of slaves in the modern world.”
“Debt Bondage is the most common form of slavery in the world. A person pledges him or herself against a loan of money, but the length and nature of the service is undefined, and the labor does not diminish the original debt.2 The debt can be passed down to subsequent generations, thus enslaving offspring, while 'defaulting' can be punished by seizing or selling children into further debt bonds. Ownership is not normally asserted, but there is complete physical control of the laborer. Debt bondage is most common in South Asia.”
“Contract Slavery illustrates how new forms of slavery are hidden within the framework of modern labor relations. Contracts are offered which guarantee employment, perhaps in a workshop or factory, but when the workers are taken to their place of employment they discover that they have instead been taken into slavery. The contract is used as an enticement to trick the
person. It is also a way of making the slavery appears legitimate if necessary; and, if legal questions arise, the contract is produced. While ownership is not asserted, the slave is under threat of violence, has no freedom of movement and is paid nothing. This is the most rapidly growing form. of slavery, and perhaps the second largest form today. Contract slavery is most often found in Southeast Asia, Brazil, some Arab states and some parts of South Asia.”
(Kevin Bales, 1999, Disposable People)