An individual only needs to remember the remarkable words of the current president Barrack Obama. “Right now, there is a man casting the net with his bleeding hands, knowing he deserves a life of dignity Right now, there is a young boy in a brick factory; hauling in heavy load and covered in dustall of them do not understand whether there is someone paying attention to their plight.” Today, there is an estimated 21 million slaves of all kinds across the globe. This heinous crime robs millions of people their basic rights and dignity. The current victims of modern day slavery include not only United States of America but also foreign citizens. The victims are trapped into all sorts of forced labor, tourism, and commercial sexual exploitation with little hope (Bales p.15).
In the modern context, human trafficking follows closely after drugs and weapons as the third largest form of money making for criminals. The increased in human slavery is closely linked to economic globalization. The supply of the potential slaves has accelerated to attract only $100 as compared to an average of $ 40,000 in the year 1950s. The pictures drawn from these areas depict slaves under complete violent control (Bales p. 16). They are economically exploited and only receive enough food to keep them going alive. In the global markets, some of the slaves are used to produce many of the basic commodities in the industries ranging from the mining, assembling and food industry (Bales p. 17).
The Anti-slavery movements
In the year 2008, the United States marked the anniversary year of slave trade abolition. The practice may have been outlawed, but it is surprising that the trade is still practiced into our homes and businesses. In most cases, the modern slave trade presents heart wrenching stories. These stories range from forced labor, trafficking into prostitution and terrorism. Through these stories, one can learn that the slave trade is pernicious and vast. It is a complex, hidden activity that is well organized by some renowned bodies operating at an immense scale across the globe. In most cases, the menace always arises from poverty, corruption, political instability and immoral pleasure. However, its force is not equal to power the collective action of scholars and activists who are determined to uncover its roots and denounce it all (Odom p. 34)
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Opposing the spread of the slavery bondage across the globe today are an emerging anti-slavery movements. These movements confront varied challenges that are faced by slave traders. The onset of this antislavery movement occurred in 1993 when the organization formed a farmworker community organization (Bales p. 17). The body campaigns for several issues affecting the common farmer such as fair food, anti-slavery in the Floridian agriculture and fair social responsibility among the participating retailers, farmworkers and Florida tomato growers. The movements have successfully bound a fair food agreement in line with Fair Food Program. Their programs have resulted into a breakthrough, worker–driven approach to variable cooperate mutual responsibility. It approach has been recognized by the Federal government and United Nations as unique and effective since its inaugural (Bales p. 17).
The United Students against Sweatshop
This movement is a student organization that was formed in the year 1988 with over 250 colleges and universities in Canada and United States of America. In the year 2000, the organization formed an independent body of Workers Rights Consortium (WRC) The WRC aims at investigating labor conditions in global factories that make collegiate apparel. Detailed analysis indicate that, The United Students against Sweatshop formed body (WRC) works closely with other independent bodies ranging from human rights groups, federations and local labor unions. These bodies come from varied nations where collegiate apparel is produced to ensure that the labor standards are maintained in the factories. The United Nations against Sweatshops is regarded as the largest anti-sweatshop movement across the globe. The movement has achieved the power to exhibit a great degree of free trade movements that focuses on domestic, as well as global sweatshops (Odom p. 34).
Further, the United Nations together with League of Nations have presented several cases of human slavery and trafficking. In United States of America, a strong Federal law was passed in the year 2000 called the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. This act has set a high level of sentence for traffickers. Nations such as Brazil have set the required standards on what might happen when a nation takes the act of Slavery seriously. After the formation of the commission of Slave trade eradication, the nation ventured into building a well-trained antislavery squad to follow up the reports of enslavement. The number of individuals who were freed from the business increased to 75 % annually (Odom 34).
In conclusion, it is evidently clear that international development agencies can address the bondage that holds millions of workers across the globe by applying a slavery lens. The discussed unions are just a few of the committed organizations with blended policies that are needed for the crucial work of anti-slavery. However, more efforts are still required from many organizations to literary kick the doors and rescue slaves.
Works Cited
Bales, Kevin. "Winning the Fight: Eradicating Slavery in the Modern Age." Harvard International Review 31.1 (2009): 14-7
Odom, Brian. "Slavery in the Modern World: A History of Political, Social, and Economic Oppression." The Booklist 108.12 (2012): 34.
