21st Century Slaves

"There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa in four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The modern commerce in humans rivals illegal drug trafficking in its global reach—and in the destruction of lives. "

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http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature1/index.html

I read this article in the print magazine. Even the editor was surprised that there were 27 million slaves in the world today. That's not people who are ill-paid, that's people who are not paid at all and are held against their will through fear and torture.

Although many of these people live in third world countries such as India, Pakistan and Napal, they can also be found working in such places as Florida picking oranges.

And the folks in power here in the US today probably don't see it as a bad thing, no not at all.

If they had their way US prison population would be much higher and revamped to be as efficient a work force as possible (for very little). Then after successfully obliterating the middle-class we would be a people of slave-wage workers. Not beaten or tortured but at least along the lines of The Jungle--barely able to stay alive. I suppose we could all take comfort in Paul's words from the bible......

We have a long way to go yet as a species.

Julie

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=73720

And that 30% is a target, a goal, a quota. Not a prediction. The Rethugs will make it happen. Because prison labor is so very cheap and profitable.

Vitruvius

P.S: "We have a way to go as a species" -- IF one includes Rethugnicans as part of our species. I'm not so sure they are -- most Rethugs have no consciences -- and having a conscience is part of being a human being.

cheap labour for many corporations........same old shit.

whorehouses in Europe and the US, to say nothing about Turkish prisons and third world countries.

The traffic in "white slavery" for the sex trades is growing astronomically.

Seems to me that just about every politcial affiliation should be against this, but where's the outrage? Where are the wingnuts and fundies?

they weren't very happy about it. Up until now, though, I've never heard anyone on the left mention it. I hope something is done about it. In fact, I'll start looking into it.

Dob

Most DUers seem convinced that prostitution is a "victimless crime" and just an ordinary act between consenting adults.

However, there is an large amount of info about the reality of the sex industry that can easily be found with Google. I wish more people would realize that it is the result of economic desperation, racism, exploitation, and molestation in virtually all cases and not a fun thing that mature women do for pocket money.

I would post links but no one wants to read the links and deal with the facts.

Lemoine, Maurice. Bitter Sugar: Slaves Today in the Caribbean. Chicago, Banner Press, 1985.

Over 5000 children per year, some as young as 5 yrs old, are smuggled into the Dominican Republic to slave away on brutal sugar plantations. They slave away for 14 hours a day swinging heavy machetes that too often cut the limbs of other co-cutting children, carry the heavy loads on their heads and are beaten for not going fast enough.

Their tears are in the sugar we put in our coffee every morning. Such a life a luxury in America, to not even have to think about the misery that sustains certain aspects of our life-style. Our consciences would push us to madness if we thought about it.


We are everlasting debtors to known and unknown men and women.... When we arise in the morning, we go into the bathroom where we reach for a sponge provided for us by a Pacific Islander. We reach for soap that is created for us by a Frenchman. The towel is provided by a Turk. Then at the table we drink coffee which is provided for us by a South American, or tea by a Chinese, or cocoa by a West African. Before we leave for our jobs, we are beholden to more than half the world. ~Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

King was such a brilliant man!

Julie