Wednesday, 30 April 2008
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Modern Slavery and Abolition
Twenty-seven million human beings are slaves in the modern world. Many are in debt; some were forced into debt by subterfuge and seduction of desperate people; some are sold or given away to pay debts. Even though slavery is illegal nearly everywhere, it is protected by exploitative practices. After World War II the population explosion produced a growing body of people who had so little to live on and such little leverage that they were easily exploited. “[S]laves are cheap and disposable; control continues without legal ownership; slavery is hidden behind contracts; and slavery flourishes in communities under stress”.
Putting a face on 27 Million:
Sari, a 15-year-old woman in Thailand. She was sold into bondage by her parents. She will be bought by as many as 10 or 15 men every night. The industrialization of Thailand has created a whole new class of men with money to spend. In fact, between 80 and 87 percent of the male population of Thailand has had sex with a prostitute. Many see sex slavery as a way to spur the national economy. Sex tourism brings in a great deal of money to the nation, and makes the slavery practiced in Thailand a global issue. The entire world is complicit in this industry.
Bilal. A different practice of slavery exists in Mauritania. Slavery was abolished there in 1980, but no one bothered to pay attention. A slave named Bilal works for his master delivering water door to door every day. If Bilal does not return with the required amount of money he will be punished and receive less food. If a slave leaves a master, there is nowhere for him to go. He is immediately recognizable based on skin-color, as well as clothing and speech, and will not be able to find work.
Brazilians. In Brazil poor individuals are lured into isolated work camps in the forest where they are forced to work in squalid conditions, without pay or communication with the outside world. This work is temporary, however, because the destruction it involves is temporary, and slaves get used and then discarded. They are held as debt laborers who have no hope of paying off their debt. The system diffuses responsibility so that recruiters and landowners and officials all have an excuse.
Baldev. The practice of slavery in India is “a survival of the oldest enslavement on the planet”. The debts of agricultural slaves in India can go back for centuries . Baldev, for instance, did not know how long his family had been enslaved. “We have always lived here…It’s a regular thing. Kohl people like us have always been bonded to Brahmins like my master” . And yet some slaves have come out of bondage thanks to government assistance. But many stories of corrupt government dealings lead Baldev and others to reject government help, because they have heard of government officials who receive bribes to forget about the slaves they were sent to free.
If any aspect of the human condition exposes the underside of human nature it has to be slavery. The willingness of modern human beings to tolerate such treatment diminishes all of us. (For full article click here)
Please pray for the twenty-seven million people who are currently bonded laborers or slaves. Thank God for the freedom we have, physically, and spiritually through Christ and pray that this freedom may be experienced by many more. Pray against corrupt officials and governments who either turn a blind eye to practices or encourage them. Pray for government leaders and organizations such as International Justice Mission who work to combat such evil.
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