<font color=white>

I was distressed to read in the latest issue of the National Geographic that something like over 27million slaves exist in the world we live in today.

That's more than ever.

These are not people living in slave like conditions, or work long hours for no pay. These are people who qualify for all the above, but are sold and forced into their trade through violence.
In the pre-modern era, slaves were bound by legalality.
Today, it's even worse, slaves do what they do because they are beaten and abused into it. :(
Slaves also are different in what they do nowadays, the cases presented by National Geographic cover the wide range:

A child Mechanic - He works all day for no pay and little food in. He isn't educated, and knows only how to fix cars. No communication with other children or anyone else but his master. Gets beaten for resting or for being too slow because he is tired.

Child Labourer - Makes little bead jewellery along with other children all day. They were sold to the factory for $4 by their parents to repay debts. The debts often amount from borrowings to do a funeral or build a house. A debt they can not repay for generations even after selling their children.

Teenage Prostitutes - Sold from hill tribes into vast Metrpolis and western countries for as little as $4000. The smallest of brothels can make a profit of $1 million in a year. They are sold to repay debts or simply kidnapped by force. Life expectancy is a mere lowly 40.

These are a few examples of the 27 million slaves working in our society.

Without education, we will only experience strong population gowth amongst these people, further exposing them to the lucrative trade of slavery. Increased competition in a growingly populated world makes companies seek out these cheap labourers... it's a viscious circle.

</font>

Terrible isn`t it? Ha people are so modern,so smart so....yeah right...


Poverty is really a big problem. Give the money to this people,instead of giving money for nuclear development!

Slave trade and child labor are mostly in third world countries who have yet, or are barely into the industrial age. The US had similar problems during this time period. The exploitation of the poor is nothing new. Weeding out corruption, writing laws, enforcing those laws, and organized labor unions are the only solution. Though in a fragile economy, the cure is often as bad as the ill as far as jobs are concerned. How do you choose between exploitative work and none at all? Which is worse?

It's not just in third world countries, I read that in europe about 400.000 women are sold into prostitution every year, most of them are kidnapped from Russia or eastern europe and sold as prostitutes to western europe, they are often lured with promise of "regular" jobs, good pay and good life but find out they are in hell. They don't get paid and if they don't meet their "quota" for the the night they are punished...

If you want to see a scary movie find Forever Lilya. it's about a girl who gets into this and it's one of the scariest movie I've seen...

Women Suffer Modern Slavery

I read another report stating that there are an estimated 500,000 slaves in the US right now.

I have a handbasket. It's going to hell. You're all in it with me, like it or not.

Why am I in this handbasket and where in the hell is it going?! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Is 'Highway to Hell' by ACDC playing on the radio...?

The criminal underworld is a reality. I don't believe there's a HUGE market in slavery in the US and Europe. The statistics are mostly guesses. Also, the definition used for slavery can be used to descibe most pimped cheap prostitutes in general. A lot of prostitutes get into the business before realizing they can't get out. The sex business is like this in general. Even strippers can get caught up unwittingly. There is no other work that pays as much as stripping because of a lack of education, training, and work history. Yet, staying a stripper only makes the problem worse. If drugs become involved, it's almost hopeless as no other job they can get will pay enough to support the habit. As they get older, even stripping gets harder because the clients want young dancers. Some turn to prostitution to make up the difference. It's a nasty downward spiral. A career with no future. But I digress! [img]graemlins/offtopic.gif[/img]


P.S.

This isn't to say ALL dancers or prostitutes are this hopeless. Some who lack the means use it as a part-time stepping stone to pay for college. To this end, the sex industry can be ideally suited, even if generally immoral and distasteful.

We are not so modern as our arrogance usually makes us think...