Our Society and Slavery

In the First World, we think of slavery as dead. Over. Gone. We think of it as an historic aberration, a blemish on the past, but certainly not something that still exists in modern times. Yet over 27 million people are still enslaved today, and that number isn’t decreasing. Slavery is not dead at all, we just don’t notice it, and our failure to acknowledge its existence,it allows it to continue unchecked. To truly abolish slavery we must take down a system that is already in place, and has been in existence for thousands of years. Slavery is deeply ingrained into many sections of society, and to eradicate it we must change society.

The most challenging part of stopping slavery is giving up our reliance on it. Unseen slavery powers many parts of the world economy, and so we all rely upon it, knowingly or unknowingly. The list of major companies that use slave labor is long, and shockingly includes many iconic brands such as Nike, Apple and Disney. The fact that we in the First World allow anyone, especially such high profile, successful companies, to get away with exploiting people is truly atrocious and shameful, and most of us are shocked to learn about it. So how does it come about? What is modern slavery?

Slavery relies on systems of bondage, discrimination and exploitation that have been in place for thousands of years and have continued to grow and evolve throughout history. Modern slavery is also fueled by globalisation. The movement of people, money, and information throughout the world, and the spread of production, supply, and distribution chains has allowed modern slavery to grow, and enabled it to stay out of the grasp of authorities. Of course Nike, Apple and Disney don’t directly enslave people, but their suppliers do, which makes them, the companies and us, their customers, ultimately responsible for the exploitation of slave labor.

Modern slavery exists in many forms, the most common of which is debt bondage. Debt bondage occurs when people are encouraged to borrow money, often on the promise of a better job, or a better life elsewhere. The debt they are subsequently forced to pay back is massively inflated by interest and other charges, so these people end up working for years with no reward, in short as slaves. Sexual slavery, where people, usually women and children, are forced to work in the sex industry is also flourishing in modern times. As is domestic servitude, where the normal and legal practice of live in help is used to cover the exploitation and control of another person, and contract slavery, where people are deceived into slavery by a false employment contract. So you can see that while the traditional chattel slavery, where a person is legally owned by another, may be virtually extinct, slavery itself is alive and well.

How is it that this abhorrent and illegal practice is so widespread today? Put simply, it is because we aren’t doing enough to stop it. Kevin Bales, president of Free The Slaves, says that the fact slavery is still thriving comes down principally to ignorance about the institution and lack of resources directed at eradicating it. This is particularly true in first world countries where we are often not aware that slavery is not exclusively a thirld world problem. Many people in first world countries believe that slavery is nothing to do with them and that they are powerless to prevent it. Nothing could be further from the truth. We all benefit from the slave trade, only the slaves themselves do not.

Slavery may be illegal in every country in the world, but that does not mean it doesn’t exist. Between 14,000 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year. Most are forced into the sex trade, domestic servitude, or agricultural labor. At any one time, between 52,000 and 87,000 are in bondage. We don’t notice these people because we don’t realise what they are, we simply don’t perceive them as slaves. David Batstone, the author of ‘Not For Sale’ describes how he had, unknowingly, been dining at a restaurant staffed by slaves. “That’s the paradox: slavery is in reality not invisible, Except in rare circumstances, slaves toil in the public eye. The truth is that we do not expect to find it in “respectable” settings.” he writes.

We may prefer to think of slavery as a thing of the past, but in doing so we turn a blind eye to the crime of slave trading and we fail to acknowledge the suffering of the slave. David Batstone also writes that

“Many people bristle to hear the word slavery used to describe the modern practice of exploitation. Deeply ingrained in the collective psyche of Western culture is the notion that slavery ended in the nineteenth century. It is not unusual to read a newspaper account of “slavelike conditions” in a copper mine in, say, Bolivia. The laborers were kidnapped, coerced to work without pay and prohibited from leaving the mine. So why would the writer ferfer to the laborer’s conditions as “slavelike”? Because the writer buys into the cultural myth that “real slavery” was vanquished long ago.”
If we continue to deny the suffering of these millions of people, nothing will change.

Slavery will only be eradicated if we all take responsibility for its existence. All sections of society must acknowledge their reliance on slavery and take active steps to cease this unhealthy dependency. It is no good pleading ignorance and shifting the blame onto others. We must all stand up to be counted and reject slavery in its entirety. We must boycott products and services produced by slave labour, even if this means paying higher prices. We must lobby our governments to enforce anti slavery legislation, to end human trafficking and to help other nations tackle the endemic poverty, corruption and violence which allows slavery to flourish. We must provide better opportunities for those at risk of exploitation and we must work to overturn cultural norms which encourage and condone the exploitation of others. Slavery is a scourge on humanity and it is the responsibility of all humankind to work towards its abolition.

Should Child Soldiers Be Welcomed Into Society?

Out of curiosity, have you ever wondered how the world is so unforgiving? No matter how severe the issues are, ranging from the tiniest and smallest of matters to large and broad, the world will impact you and others drastically. Imagine yourself in a country or an area, where your privacy, your safety, and your dignity is stolen away from you, how would you react? Angrily? Depressed? Frustrated? When this situation is addressed towards child soldiers, they are forced to have no feelings. Have you also, ever been put in a situation where you had to make an extremely onerous and difficult decision for the betterment of you. When such decisions are displayed towards child soldiers, it is either for the sacrifice of themselves or for their families. As we can see, the lives of child soldiers is exceedingly relentless and inflexible, however, the debate about child soldiers is a complex and an intricate topic, where the term “justice” does not apply for both sides. Although many may think that child soldiers might have detrimental influences to the community around, especially children, I take the position that when and if our privacy is stolen from us, our instincts will always be presented and shown before our values, as an act for protection, therefore, child soldiers are victims of war and should be accepted into society, because, they are threatened and forced to join the army, they believe they are fighting and seeking for social justice, and, some volunteer to join the army as a plan for survival.


First and fore-mostly, child soldiers would be considered victims of war because, they are forced and threatened to joined the army. It is estimated that around two hundred thousand children have fought in wars, under the age of sixteen due to this inhumane action caused by armies. Children were often the primary targets because they were less likely to rebel, and, easy to manipulate, therefore, many children were often abducted into the army mainly because they were cheap, resourceful, and could be used for a variety of other purposes. With this, once recruited into the army, children face and come across terror and physical abuse, socialising them into violence. Also, once they are in the army, they undergo varying degrees of indoctrination, often brutal. Moreover, if children rebelled, they are subjected to extreme punishments such as beating, whipping, caning, and sometimes, the threat of execution. During conflicts, commanders supply drugs such as marijuana to children to make them brave and lessen the fear of combat. Many children are compelled and obliged to follow these orders as a reminder for the severe punishments they could receive. “If you didn’t comply with orders, you will be punished badly” stated by one of the members in the Human Rights Watch. Acknowledging this, coercion and fear will always play a major role in the lives of child soldiers throughout their lives. However, let us not forget that some might convey strongly that the whole terminology of responsibility does take place in the life of a child soldier, meaning that they are responsible for committing the crimes.


As mentioned from the above, child soldiers would also be considered victims of war, as, they believe and think they are fighting for social justice. Like adults, they see themselves fighting for a reason or a cause which they might feel good about. They also think it has a deep connection to various religious beliefs and cultural identities. Due to this, child soldiers are unaware of their actions as what they think they are trying to do, is help. As stated previously, when children are recruited into the army, they go through the process of indoctrination, which is the process of teaching someone to accept certain values and beliefs uncritically. As we can now understand, by this method, it will alter their mindset to do wrong and false actions which will lead them to nowhere whilst they think they are doing the right things. Without having any education, it is frankly absurd to call child soldiers perpetrators of war without having any background knowledge of how disheartening their issues and life-stories might be. “A war that includes children, is a war no-one can win”. In your daily life, it is natural for you to feel sorrow for someone, especially a member of your family, however, how is it fair if we don’t treat child soldiers the same way. After all, we are all humans, so we all should treat each other the same and equally.


Correspondingly, child soldiers would be considered victims of war, because, they joined the army as a plan for survival and entering the army camp would be an ideal option for them. When it comes to making decisions for children, it is natural for them to normally get stuck and confused whilst deciding as their minds and bodies are still growing, whereas, for adults, it is essentially quicker. If children are put in such situations when making decisions for survival, they make decisions without any thought of the outcome because, when our safety is taken from us, our instincts play a role before our values as an act for protection. This decision however would be considered and contemplated as an ideal option because, in developing countries, food, water, and shelter is extremely scarce and deficient. Also, parents volunteer their children for the betterment of their lives, and risk their own for saving them. It is extremely plaintive to see how these people struggle and live with their lives everyday despite conflict and war surrounding them. Imogen Prickett, one of the members from the Child Protection Programmed stated “some of the army units provide food and stable life” This proves how strong the influences are at the units, and how such good opportunities has arrived to child soldiers in order to survive. When it comes to survival, it is every man for themselves.

Although these reasons and evidence may be valid and compelling, many may dispute that because of the influences child soldiers had received during conflict, it may be detrimental to their surroundings and environment. As stated previously, the term “justice” does not apply for both sides of the argument, so there will be not be any win or loss, accomplishment or defeat, but completely in the middle of it. The fact about child soldiers and their influences could be detrimental as others might rebel against a certain community starting conflicts. It could also spur up arguments causing a major breakthrough between two parties. Although these arguments might be very convincing, it is very unlikely this might happen so, as, they have not been introduced to the real education. In Ishmael Beah’s story, a long way gone, describes a specific scene where a couple of kids asked him about the war and thought it was cool, nonetheless, he did not react in any way. This proves how education can change someone’s perspective on the real world and shape them to be a better person

In everyday life, we make decisions that we are aware of, and we all know it has impacts either positively or negatively. Nevertheless, when making decisions that could determine your own life, is extremely shocking and appalling. The good thing however, is that we know what we decision we are taking, and possibly, we know the outcome. On the other hand, child soldiers, are firstly uneducated, and make decisions randomly need not knowing what their possible future might be. With very little knowledge learned about the lives of child soldiers, it is unfair and unjustifiable to call child soldiers perpetrators or prosecutors of war. It is important to strike a balance between guilt and honour, and in order to do so, there needs to be sufficient understanding of the topic without instantly claiming or proving a point. Our lives may be completely different from child soldiers but it is crucial to understand how much of a privilege we have. You also must be wondering, why should I really care about this? What is the point? Because after all, we will be impacted too because if nobody takes any action, who will?