Although most Westerners associate slavery with a previous era, the global slave trade is thriving.
On August 22, 2007, Mauritania criminalized slavery. For Centuries in Mauritania, Arabic speaking Haratines have been enslaved by their non-Haratine countrymen. The Haratine-cast constitutes approximately 40 percent of Mauritania’s population and are a presence throughout West Africa. In Mauritania, approximately half a million Haratines are either slaves or former slaves. Mauritania’s new anti-slavery law threatens slave owners with five to ten years in prison. Slavery has been prohibited in Mauritania repeatedly, but for the first time, Slave ownership is a punishable transgression.
The United Nations’ International Labor Organization reports that over 12 million people are enslaved worldwide (although other estimates are far higher). Most slave laborers work in agriculture, mining, and prostitution. Most slaves reside in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean; particularly large slave populations exist in Venezuela, Algeria, Sudan, North Korea, Persian Gulf states, Uzbekistan, Argentina, Russia, China, Indochina, and India. Approximately 80 percent of slaves are women, and approximately 50 percent are younger than 18.
Demand for inexpensive labor is driving much of the slave trade. Activists contend that multinational companies purchase materials produced in developing countries by slave laborers. According to the International Labor Organization, forced laborers generate over 30 billion dollars in profits annually. Moreover, the increasing accessibility of transportation is facilitating human trafficking; approximately two-and-a-half million people are trafficked across national boarders annually.
Slavery is not limited to the developing world. Thousands of people are trafficked into the United States every year; most are brought to Florida, New York, and Texas. These laborers generally work in agriculture or prostitution. Many are illegal immigrants, but other legal immigrants become exploited due to poverty or incapacity to speak English. In Europe, slavery is similarly prevalent. Sex workers imported from Eastern Europe work the streets in Germany, Italy, and France.
Although most Westerners associate slavery with a previous era, the global slave trade is thriving; clearly, more must be done. Since 2000, the United States has charged hundreds of individuals with human trafficking. However, the U.S. has neglected to pressure national governments sufficiently. The modern slave trade is administered by numerous criminal organizations, mostly from Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. These gangs are often in cahoots with national administrators. The international community should pressure nations with high slave populations and pundits should do more to publicize the global slave trade. In countries like Mauritanian, pressure must be put on governments to insure compliance and rapidly establish reintegration programs for former slaves.
Approximately 45 percent of slaves solicit sex. Some governments are addressing the demand for slavery by instituting liberal prostitution laws. In 2000, the Netherlands legalized prostitution in order to combat human trafficking; this approach has been relatively successful, although it has not eliminated illegal prostitution. Other industrialized countries should consider liberal prostitution laws. However, national administrators must strictly oversee the legal prostitution industry, and many governments lack the resources and the competence.
It is likely that more people are enslaved across the globe now than ever. The international community must address this unconscionable slave trade sincerely and capably. Slavery must become history.
J.G.
Sources:
Kapstein, Ethan B. 'The New Global Slave Trade' Foreign Affairs. November/December 2006.
'Millions Live in Modern Slavery' Voice of America News
