Slavery Then and Now

2 November 2015

Never Truly Gone

Expo 1213 - What is Work?

Maddy Payne

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.".

- Passed by Congress January 31, 1865

When people think "slavery," they generally think of the chains, whips, and abuse that was inflicted upon, first, the Native Americans and then later the African Americans.  However, slavery is still present today.  Unlike slavery during the antebellum period when it was legal and socially acceptable, today slavery is hidden from the public eye and involves millions of people from all over the world.  In a way, slavery today is actually worse than slavery back then because of how little the world knows about it and sees it.  Every now and then something will come up in the news about it; however, effort to end human trafficking are still few.  Moreover, slavery today comes in three forms:

1. Labor slavery

2. Sex slavery

3. Child slavery 

All of which generate tons of money for traffickers each year.  

Another reason why slavery today is a lot worse than slavery during the Antebellum period is because the humans being caught and trapped into modern day slavery are usually human who are poor, impoverished, and insignificant in the bigger picture.  That being said, these people who are trafficked are cheap and disposable because no one will come looking for them and even if they were important enough, the family said person came from most likely would not have enough money or resources to find their missing family member.  The problem is that some of these people that are being trafficked do not even understand the degree to which he or she is being exploited.  

Slavery is: 

-not knowing the value of work

-discrimination

-worldwide

Big problem: Governments, policemen (law enforcers) sometimes do not do anything to help stop slavery and allow it to go unpunished. 

How are these people supposed to escape if the very people who enforce the laws and supposedly stop the "bad" are allowing the bad to go unpunished (and sometimes are even involved in the trafficking)?  

**I read an extremely interesting book on human trafficking today... but I cannot remember the exact name. I will find it and post about it once I remember.