New Report Says 50 Million People Are Trapped In 'Modern Slavery'

DW: 50 million people trapped in 'modern slavery' — report 

The number of people living in modern slavery has risen sharply in the last five years, according to a new report. North Korea and Eritrea have the highest rates in the world. 

There has been a significant rise in the number of people becoming victims of modern slavery in recent years, a new study published in London on Wednesday shows. 

An estimated 50 million people were "living in situations of modern slavery" in 2021, according to the Global Slavery Index released by the human rights organization Walk Free. 

That represents an increase of 10 million since a previous estimate five years ago.  

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WNU Editor: The report is here .... Global Estimates of Modern Slavery (Walk Free). 

 New Report Says 50 Million People Are Trapped In 'Modern Slavery'  

50 million people in modern slavery: UN report -- United Nations  

20 richest countries account for over half of 50 million people in 'modern slavery,' report says -- AP  

50 Million People Are Living in 'Modern Slavery' -- Time 

US 1 of 17 countries practicing ‘modern slavery’ with forced labor: report -- The Hill  

Modern slavery most common in North Korea, Eritrea, report says -- Al Jazeera

UN Report Says 50 Million People Are Now Stuck In Modern Slavery

 

UN News: 50 million people in modern slavery: No justification for ‘fundamental’ human rights abuse  

Forced labour and marriage have increased significantly over the last five years, according to a new UN report released on Monday. 

The latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, published by the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and international human rights group Walk Free, revealed that last year, some 50 million people were living in modern slavery: 28 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriages. 

“It is shocking that the situation of modern slavery is not improving,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. “Nothing can justify the persistence of this fundamental abuse of human rights”.  

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WNU Editor: The UN report is here .... Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage. 

UN Report Says 50 Million People Are Now Stuck In Modern Slavery  

Fifty million people now trapped in modern slavery in a ‘surge of exploitation’ -- The Guardian 

UN: 50M stuck in ‘modern slavery’ worldwide -- The Hill  

Modern slavery, forced marriages rise to 50 million amid pandemic and conflicts -- ABC News Australia  

50 million trapped in modern slavery due to pandemic, war, climate crisis, report finds -- CNN 

United Nations: 50 million people living in 'modern slavery' as of 2021 -- Washington Examiner  

Millions Have Entered Modern Slavery Across the World Since 2016 -- Bloomberg  

UN says 50 million people worldwide stuck in ‘modern slavery’ -- Al Jazeera

China Is Using Uighurs As 'Forced 'Labour' To Work In Factories For Foreign Brands

ABC News Online: Apple, Nike and other major companies implicated in Muslim forced labour in China

Dozens of popular companies including Apple, Nike, Adidas, Uniqlo and Skechers have suppliers linked to forced labour in China involving Muslim minorities, according to a new report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

Drawing upon open-source Chinese language documentation, satellite imagery, media reporting and academic research, the report entitled Uyghurs for Sale identifies some 83 well-known consumer brands linked to factories where Muslim minorities are thought to be working in forced labour conditions across China.

It reports that 80,000 Uyghur workers were transferred out of Xinjiang between 2017 and 2019, claiming that people are being effectively "bought" and "sold" by local governments and commercial brokers.

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WNU Editor: This is nothing new. I have been reading reports of Chinese forced labour AND child labour for years. I even witnessed this in a quarry in Fujian province in 1988. These major brands are also aware on who is making their products, but they have choose to ignore it. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) report is here .... Uyghurs for sale (Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)).

More News On China Using Uighurs As 'Forced 'Labour' To Work In Factories For Foreign Brands

China Uighurs 'moved into factory forced labour' for foreign brands -- BBC
China transferred detained Uighurs to factories used by global brands – report -- The Guardian
Top brands 'using forced Uighur labor' in China: report -- DW
Apple benefits from forced Uighur labor at its iPhone supplier factories in China, according to an explosive new report -- Business Insider
Forced Labor? - China Pushes 1000s Of Uyghur Muslims To Work In Factories -- Zero Hedge

There Are 40 Million Modern Day Slaves In The World Today

Protests against "slavery in Libya" have been held outside the Libyan embassy in the Moroccan capital Rabat, after revelations that migrants were being sold as slaves in the country

AFP: More than 40 million modern-day slaves

The revelation that migrants are being sold as slaves in Libya is not an isolated case: more than 40 million people were estimated to be victims of modern slavery in 2016.

The figure includes some 25 million people who were in forced labour -- made to work under threat or coercion -- and 15 million people in forced marriage, according to a report.

But the number of people in slavery is probably even higher, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and human rights group Walk Free Foundation, who jointly carried out the study.

Here are some of their key findings:

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WNU Editor: The Global Slavery Index has more information. The link is here.

Sale Of Migrants In Libya 'Slave Markets' Exposed

CNN: Libya opens investigation into slave auctions following CNN report

Libyan authorities have launched a formal investigation into slave auctions in the country following an exclusive CNN report earlier this week, the government said Friday.

"A high-level committee has been convened encompassing representatives from all the security apparatus to oversee this investigation," Anes Alazabi, an official with the internationally recognized government of Libya's Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency, told CNN.

"Priorities of the investigation are not only to convict those responsible for these inhumane acts, but also to identify the location of those who have been sold in order to bring them to safety and return them to their countries of origin."

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WNU Editor: Slave markets have been with mankind since the beginning .... and sad to say that it still exists.

More News On Reports Of Slave Markets In Libya

Sale of migrants in Libya 'slave markets' sparks global outcry -- Reuters
Sale of Migrants as Slaves in Libya Causes Outrage in Africa and Paris -- New York Times
Footage shows African migrants being sold as slaves at auction for as little as £300 each -- The Telegraph
People for sale: Where lives are auctioned for $400 -- CNN
UN chief: Libya slave auctions may be crimes against humanity -- CNN
Libya to launch slave trading investigation after video footage appeared to show migrants being auctioned off for as little as $400 -- Daily Mail
Libya to launch probe into slave trading in the country -- Middle East Monitor
Libya says to probe 'slave auction' footage -- AFP
Libyan human rights body upset over CNN report of slave auctions in Libya -- The Libya Observer
Slavery in Libya: Top traders to be hunted down -- International Business Times

Slavery Returns To Libya

Gambian migrants returning home from Libya carry bags from UN agency the International Organization for Migration. Photograph: Luc Gnago/Reuters

The Guardian: Migrants from west Africa being ‘sold in Libyan slave markets’

UN migration agency says selling of people is rife in African nation that has slid into violent chaos since overthrow of Gaddafi.

West African migrants are being bought and sold openly in modern-day slave markets in Libya, survivors have told a UN agency helping them return home.

Trafficked people passing through Libya have previously reported violence, extortion and slave labour. But the new testimony from the International Organization for Migration suggests that the trade in human beings has become so normalised that people are being traded in public.

“The latest reports of ‘slave markets’ for migrants can be added to a long list of outrages [in Libya],” said Mohammed Abdiker, IOM’s head of operation and emergencies. “The situation is dire. The more IOM engages inside Libya, the more we learn that it is a vale of tears for all too many migrants.”

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Update: Migrants are being sold at open slave markets in Libya (IBTimes)

WNU Editor: Desperate people do desperate things. And we are seeing this now as the migrant crisis in Africa escalates.

There Are 46 Million Slaves Living In The World Today

Reuters: Almost 46 million people trapped in slavery with North Korea, India key offenders: global index

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Almost 46 million people are living as slaves globally with the greatest number in India but the highest prevalence in North Korea, according to the third Global Slavery Index launched on Tuesday with Australian actor Russell Crowe.

The index, by Australia-based human rights group Walk Free Foundation, increased its estimate of people born into servitude, trafficked for sex work, or trapped in debt bondage or forced labor to 45.8 million from 35.8 million in 2014.

Andrew Forrest, founder of Walk Free, said the rise of nearly 30 percent was due to better data collection, although he feared the situation was getting worse with global displacement and migration increasing vulnerability to all forms of slavery.

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WNU Editor: The Global Slavery Index is here.

More News On Global Slavery

More than 45 million men, women and children are living as slaves around the world - up 28% on two years ago -- AFP
Modern Slavery Estimated to Trap 45 Million People Worldwide -- NYT
North Korea, India worst offenders in Global Slavery Index report -- UPI
Report: Nearly 46 Million People Are Living in Slavery Worldwide -- Time
Report: Global slavery skyrocketed in 2015 -- SKY News
The world has over 45 million slaves - including 1.2 million in Europe - finds new study -- Telegraph
Study: Nearly 46 million people in modern slavery -- DW
Over 1 Million Russians Are Modern Slaves — Report -- Moscow Times
There are 6,500 slaves in Canada, nearly 46 million worldwide: charity -- Global News
Report: Mauritania is no longer the world's slavery capital -- CNN
Forced Cotton-Picking Earns Uzbekistan Shameful Spot In ‘Slavery Index’ -- RFE
With the most slaves globally, India improves response to the scourge: study -- Reuters
India has 18 million modern slaves—at least five times more than any other country in the world -- Quartz
Global Slavery Is Still Staggeringly High -- Fortune
Where the World’s Slaves Live -- The Atlantic

36 Million People Live In Slavery In The World Today

Modern Slavery Affects More Than 35 Million People, Report Finds -- The Guardian

Five countries including India, China and Russia account for 61% of all slavery, says Australia-based Walk Free Foundation

More than 35 million people around the world are trapped in a modern form of slavery, according to a report highlighting the prevalence of forced labour, human trafficking, forced marriages, debt bondage and commerical sexual exploitation.

The Walk Free Foundation (WFF), an Australia-based NGO that publishes the annual global slavery index, said that as a result of better data and improved methodology it had increased its estimate 23% in the past year.

Five countries accounted for 61% of slavery, although it was found in all 167 countries covered by the report, including the UK.

Read more ....

More News On Reports That 36 Million People Live In Slavery In The World Today

Almost 36m people live in modern slavery - report -- BBC
Almost 36 million people trapped in modern day slavery: Global Slavery Index -- Deutsche Welle
Nearly 36 mln people are slaves, Qatar in focus: global index -- Reuters
More than 35 million people worldwide are being held as slaves -- The Independent
Here's Where Modern-Day Slavery Is The Most Prevalent -- Business Insider
More Than 1 Million People in Russia Live as Slaves, Study Finds -- Moscow Times/Reuters
India Tops Global Slavery Index With Over 14 Million People Enslaved -- Newsweek
35.8 Million Adults and Children in Slavery Worldwide -- Gallop

15 Caribbean States Demand Reparations From Europe For ‘Legacy Of Slavery’

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Caribbean Nations Agree To Seek Slavery Reparations From Europe -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Caribbean leaders are moving forward with a plan to seek reparations from the former slave-owning states of Europe, according to a lawyer for the island nations.

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) approved a 10-point plan for reparations at a two-day meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines that was due to wrap up on Tuesday, said Martyn Day, a U.K.-based lawyer at Leigh Day, who is working on the case.

The Caribbean countries said that European governments in addition to being responsible for conducting slavery and genocide, also imposed 100 years of racial apartheid and suffering on freed slaves and the survivors of genocide.

Read more ....

More News On Caribbean Nations Agreeing To Seek Slavery Reparations From Europe

Caribbean states seek slavery reparations -- Global Post/AFP
Caribbean states demand reparations from European powers for slave trade -- The Telegraph
Caribbean PMs seek reparations for slave trade -- Scotsman
Illiteracy, diabetes, psychological trauma: Caribbean states demand reparations for ‘legacy of slavery’ -- RT
Reparations are not the answer to slavery - British Foreign Office -- Voice of Russia
Dutch academic skeptical about Caribbean reparations claim -- Jamaica Observer
Slavery reparations: Is money the answer? -- Al Jazeera
Yes, slavery was evil. But it would be insane to force us to pay damages for age-old wrongs -- Max Hastings, Daily Mail

My Comment: I am sure that Europe will entertain this case .... but as to sending what would be essentially billions in reparations to Caribbean governments .... dream on.

There Are Nearly 30 Million Slaves Around The World (Updated)

Nearly 30 Million Around The World Are Slaves, Reveals New Report With India, China And Pakistan Among Worst Offenders -- Daily Mail

* Modern slavery is at an all time high, shocking figures say
* Sex work, unskilled labour and child exploitation all forms of slavery
* Corruption in governments and lax laws blamed for surge in the practice

Almost 30 million people in the world today are living in slavery, shock new figures have revealed.

A study by the human rights charity Walk Free Foundation has identified 162 countries where humans are trafficked for sex work and unskilled labour.

Economic powerhouses China and India were both named among the worst offenders.

The report defined 'modern slavery' as human trafficking, forced labour, and practices such as debt bondage, forced marriage, and the sale of children.

Read more ....

More News On Slavery Crisis In The World

Thirty Million People Are Slaves, Half In India: Survey -- Reuters
Mauritania, Haiti top new global slavery index -- USA Today/AP
Slavery still haunts Africa, where millions remain captive -- L.A. Times
Report: Slavery traps nearly 30 million people worldwide -- Al Jazeera
India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria on slavery's list of shame, says report -- CNN
Report: 30 Million Affected by Modern Slavery -- Voice of America
Report Says 30 Million Slaves Worldwide -- Radio Free Europe
Global Slavery Index catalogues forced labour around the world -- The Guardian
30 million people living in slavery worldwide -- Gulf News
Breadth of modern slavery exposed by sobering new report -- Verge
Russia Ranks World 6th on Slave Numbers – Report -- RIA Novosti
FACTBOX-Ten countries where slavery is most prevalent -- Reuters
Global slavery mapped -- The Guardian

WNU Editor: The Global Slavery Index website is here.

Slavery Is Alive And Well In The World Today

Thirty Million People Are Slaves, Half In India: Survey -- Reuters

LONDON, Oct 17 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Some 30 million people are enslaved worldwide, trafficked into brothels, forced into manual labor, victims of debt bondage or even born into servitude, a global index on modern slavery showed on Thursday.

Almost half are in India, where slavery ranges from bonded labor in quarries and kilns to commercial sex exploitation, although the scourge exists in all 162 countries surveyed by Walk Free, an Australian-based rights group.

Its estimate of 29.8 million slaves worldwide is higher than other attempts to quantify modern slavery. The International Labour Organisation estimates that almost 21 million people are victims of forced labour.

Read more ....

My Comment: This scourge has been with mankind since the beginning .... and sadly .... it is still with us.

A Map That Illustrates The Worst Countries For 'Modern Slavery'

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

A Fascinating Map Of The Worst Countries For Modern Slavery -- The Atlantic

China, Russia, and Uzbekistan are among the countries that face sanctions for their lack of progress on human trafficking.

China, Russia, and Uzbekistan have been named among the worst offenders when it comes to human trafficking, according to a State Department report released Wednesday, joining Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, and Zimbabwe on the bottom "tier" of the U.S. human trafficking rank.

Their lower designation means the U.S. may sanction those countries with measures like cancelling non-humanitarian and military assistance, ending exchange visits for government officials, and voting against any IMF or World Bank loans.

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My Comment: No surprise in these rankings.

'Modern Slavery' Is A Global Crisis

27 Million People Said to Live in ‘Modern Slavery’ -- New York Times

BEIJING — 7:37 p.m. (Updated) On Monday, we wrote about human trafficking and forced labor — or modern slavery, as it’s often called — and said the United Nations defines it as a fast-growing problem.

Two days later, on Wednesday in the United States, the State Department released a report that gives another, higher figure for how many people are working in slavery in our world today – as many as 27 million (as opposed to the International Labor Organization’s 21 million), and it placed three more countries in the worst offenders category, bringing the total to 21: Russia, China and Uzbekistan. Already in the category: Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, among others.

Read more ....

More News On "Modern Slavery"

'Modern-day slavery': State Dept. says millions of human trafficking victims go unidentified -- NBC
U.S. downgrades Russia, China for lack of anti-trafficking efforts -- CNN
Russia, China Downgraded in US Trafficking Report -- Voice of America
U.S. cites Russia, China among worst in human trafficking: report -- Reuters
State Dept. downgrades Russia, China on trafficking -- Washington Post
U.S. Accuses 3 Countries of Abetting Human Trafficking -- New York Times
Slavery: US gives bad marks to China and Russia in its annual report -- Christian Science Monitor
Washington Slams Uzbekistan over Human Trafficking -- Eurasianet.org

China, Russia Slam US Report on Human Trafficking -- Voice of America
China, Russia angry over US human trafficking criticism -- Global Post/AFP
US human trafficking report: Russia and China angered -- BBC
Russia, China Reject U.S. Criticism Over Human Trafficking -- Radio Free Europe
Moscow attacks US human trafficking report as politicized and arrogant -- RT
China rejects US human trafficking criticism -- Al Jazeera

WNU Editor: The US Department of State's "Trafficking in Persons" full report is here.

US State Department Releases 'Slavery Report'

US Trafficking Report Reveals 'Modern Slavery' Toll -- BBC

More than 42,000 adults and children were found in forced prostitution, labour, slavery or armed conflict in 2011, a US government report has found.

Some 9,000 more victims were identified around the world than in 2010, the state department report said.

But the number is just a fraction of the estimated 800,000 people trafficked across borders every year.

Read more ....

Graphic showing the countries in the Tier 3 list of trafficking violators (AFP graphic)

More News On Today's US Report On Worldwide Slavery

Up to 27 million people living in slavery: US -- AFP
Hillary Clinton: 27 million people in slavery -- USA Today
Up to 27 million people living in slavery: Hillary Clinton -- New York Daily News
42,000 modern-day slaves rescued but millions in bondage, trafficking report says -- MSNBC
Tens of thousands rescued from modern-day slavery; millions more remain in bondage: report -- New York Daily News
Where Modern Slavery Thrives: State Department Unveils Trafficking Report -- Daily Beast
US sees progress and touts 'heroes' in fight against slavery worldwide -- Christian Science Monitor

Watch Salma Hayek and Jada Pinkett Smith's new music video aimed at Latino girls who are often lured into sexual slavery by someone they believe "loves" them.

Slavery’s Last Stronghold

Slavery’s Last Stronghold -- CNN

Mauritania’s endless sea of sand dunes hides an open secret: An estimated 10% to 20% of the population lives in slavery. But as one woman’s journey shows, the first step toward freedom is realizing you’re enslaved.

Moulkheir Mint Yarba returned from a day of tending her master’s goats out on the Sahara Desert to find something unimaginable: Her baby girl, barely old enough to crawl, had been left outdoors to die.

The usually stoic mother — whose jet-black eyes and cardboard hands carry decades of sadness — wept when she saw her child’s lifeless face, eyes open and covered in ants, resting in the orange sands of the Mauritanian desert. The master who raped Moulkheir to produce the child wanted to punish his slave. He told her she would work faster without the child on her back.

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My Comment: As depressing as this report is .... it is still a comfort to know that slavery .... a scourge that has been with mankind since the beginning .... is now isolated in only a few places in the world.

State Department's Annual Trafficking In Persons Report (Slavery) Is Released

Slavery Report Names Weak Link Nations -- CNN

A U.S. Government anti-slavery report published Monday throws the spotlight on countries it says are not meeting minimum anti-trafficking standards.

The U.S. State Department's Trafficking In Persons (TIP ) Report identifies countries that it says meet minimum standards, countries working towards them and countries that appear to be doing little to stop trafficking.

Each country is put into one of four grades - Tier 1, Tier 2, Two Watch and Tier Three. The United States can impose sanctions on countries in the bottom tier. (See how the countries rank)

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. State Department's Report On International Slavery

US report cites laundry list of countries involved in modern-day slavery -- Global Post
US expands human trafficking blacklist to 23 -- MSNBC
US Expands List of Human Trafficking Violators -- Voice of America
U.S. Warns of Worsening International Human Trafficking Crisis -- Slate
Report: More Countries Failing to Fight Slavery; Notes US Faults -- ABC News
Estonia, Belarus put on human trafficking watchlist -- AFP
Fight Against Human Trafficking Loses Ground in 11 Nations -- Bloomberg
Human trafficking: how the US state department ranks your country -- The Guardian
Philippines, Singapore off US trafficking watchlist -- AFP
US expands human trafficking blacklist -- AP

Human Slavery Still Exists For Millions

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveils the 2010 U.S. report on human trafficking in Washington. Photo from Radio Free Europe

World Makes Progress Against Slavery, But 13 Nations Lag -- Christian Science Monitor

The US State Department's annual report on modern-day slavery cites greater determination worldwide to stamp it out. But 13 nations are on the list of sluggards neglecting the issue.

The United States is hailing growing determination in most corners of the globe to combat modern-day slavery through stepped-up law enforcement and legislative action. That’s the good news.

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More News On World Slavery

US Report Cites 13 Countries for Human Trafficking -- Voice of America
U.S. Human Trafficking Report Cites Progress, Persistent Challenges -- Radio Free Europe
US puts nations on notice for trafficking -- AP
U.S. human trafficking report includes U.S. cases for first time -- CNN
U.S. ranks itself in trafficking -- Politico
Human Trafficking a Problem in Major Cities Across US -- Voice of America

The World's Slave Markets Are Alive And Well

(Slavery is a problem around the world and very difficult to measure. The following examples are listed in geographical order and not in terms of the magnitude of the problem.)

1. US: An estimated 20,000 people are trafficked into the US annually - many are forced into prostitution.
2. Dominican Republic: Campaigners say hundreds of thousands of Haitians are rounded up near the border and made to work on Dominican sugar plantations.
3. Brazil: Up to 25,000 people are said to be working as slave labourers - most of them clearing Amazonian forests.
4. Mauritania: Despite its abolition in 1981, chattel slavery is still strong - up to 1m people are allegedly held as "inheritable property".
5. Sudan: Campaigners say northern militias continue to take women and children in slave raids in the south.
6. Europe: Tens of thousands of women and girls are cheated, abducted and forced into prostitution right across Europe.
7. UAE: Every year hundreds of boys are reportedly trafficked from South Asia to the UAE and other Gulf states to race camels.
8. Pakistan: Men, women and children are bonded into forced labour in agriculture and industry, campaigners say.
9. Burma: Forced labour is reportedly used on a growing number infrastructure projects.
10. Thailand: Thousands of girls are sex slaves for tourists.
(Sources: ILO, American Anti-Slavery Group, US state department.)

Human Trafficking Reaches to High Alert Around World -- Voice of America

The U.S. State Department estimates that 800,000 human trafficking victims cross international borders each year. The United States is often a destination for many of these victims, where they are held in what many human rights activists consider modern day slavery. Some of those activists participated in the Human Rights Accords in Dayton Ohio, a two-day conference to help raise awareness about the problems victims face. The conference occurred this week as U.S. law enforcement agencies are engaged in a nationwide crackdown on human trafficking.

Read more ....

My Comment: As terrible as these stats are, they still leave out huge swaths of people who can be considered as slaves. My focus has always been on the use of child soldiers in conflict zones. Their numbers are in the tens of thousands in Africa alone, but they are still not considered as slaves by most international organizations, but as abused children in war zones.

UN: Modern Forms Of Slavery Are Flourishing

From Voice of America:

In late August 1791, a slave rebellion in Santo Domingo, now Haiti and the Dominican Republic, sparked the beginning of the end of the system of slavery. Every year on August 23, the United Nations International Day for the remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition serves to remind people of the tragedy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade of old. It also aims to raise awareness about modern day forms of slavery.

Men, women and children are no longer shackled, put on the auction block and sold like prize cattle to the highest bidder. In today's world, one person does not buy another and own him or her for life. Traditional forms of slavery have been abolished. But, contemporary forms of slavery are often as cruel and dehumanizing.

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My Comment: This Voice of America news report ignores the plight of child soldiers. In all of these cases, they are slaves of the worse sort. Exploited not only by the Army that has (in almost all cases) kidnapped them, but also used as human fodder in the wars and battles that are fought.

Africa's Bitter Cycle Of Child Slavery

From L.A. Times:

About 200,000 children in West and Central Africa are slaves, sold by their parents or duped. The children are starved, abused and beaten. But some get their own slaves when they grow up.

Reporting from Kpone, Ghana -- Rebecca Agwu told her 5-year-old son, John, not to cry when she sent him away to live with relatives four years ago. Mary Mootey sent away her 4-year-old son, Evans, telling him he was going off to school. The two boys, now 9, from the same town in Ghana, ended up being forced to work 14 hours a day fishing on Lake Volta and being beaten for the smallest lapse.

Rewind about two decades: Rebecca Agwu was a child herself when her mother sent her away to live with an aunt.

Read more ....

Update: Half a million African slaves are at the heart of Mauritania's presidential election -- The Telegraph

My Comment: When we think of slavery .... we think of America's past. The sad fact is that slavery has also been an African institution that goes back centuries, and that still exists today. Ethnic and tribal conflicts, coupled with incompetent and/or corrupt governments functioning in a culture of no laws and a lack of respect for people of different faiths, ethnicity, and/or tribal connection ..... this environment is a breeding ground for the exploitation and abuse of people .... and (unfortunately) it is still present in most of Africa.

Will this ever end .... it will but when .... this I do not know.