Modern slavery lurks in the shadows of our world with more people being trafficked than ever before in the history of the human race. US based organisation Free the Slaves estimates that 10-30 million men, women and children are victims of human trafficking, exploited for labour, war and sex. Those being exploited are treated as mere commodities and are forced to work for little or no pay, whilst forever fearing beatings from their owners. In 2000, the United Nations adopted the Trafficking Protocol to set international guidelines to prevent and suppress human exploitation. Despite the protocol, the business of slavery thrives and generates billions of dollars each year for traffickers, slave 'owners' and for corrupt governments.

Bonded Labour

The most widely employed method of enslaving people, bonded labour involves the forced labour of an individual or family as a means of debt payment. This form of labour is particularly apparent in the agriculture, factory and cottage industries of South Asia. Individuals are tricked into working full time, in poor conditions and with very little pay. The poor working conditions labourers are subjected to includes being kept under surveillance, being threatened with beatings and in some cases being locked away until the debt is repaid. While bonded labour is illegal in many countries, in the countries it does occur in, governments do not possess a willingness to enforce the law. This is particularly the case in the Asia Pacific region where the International Labour Organisation estimates 9.3 million people are trapped in bonded labour.

Forced Labour

The International Labour Organisation estimates that 12.3 million people are trapped in forced labour around the world. One sixth of all people forced into work are victims of human trafficking. Men, women and children are often forced into fields of work like agriculture, construction, begging, prostitution and factory work under threat of punishment. Burma, North Korea and China are examples of countries whereby the state and military are directly responsible for the prevalence of unfree labour. Victims of forced labour are most commonly from poor backgrounds and marginalised minorities making them easy targets for traffickers and slave owners.

Child Labour

Millions of children worldwide are subjected to extremely perilous work including lengthy working hours, intense physical labour and dangerous working environments. Children are often unable to escape the poverty cycle and are therefore trapped into forced labour for their entire lives. They may be subject to physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and may even receive death threats from their masters. According to UNICEF, 158 million children aged 5-14 are exploited and forced into labour as a result of poverty, debt bondage, armed recruitment and trafficking. Trafficking of children involves transporting the children away from their homes to be used as sex workers and labourers. When children are brought into another country, they are often at the mercy of their 'owners' and are unable to contact their families.

Human Trafficking

At any given time, there are 2.5 million people who have been trafficked and forced into prostitution or slave labour. Human trafficking involves transporting individuals away from the safety of their homes and into an environment where they are unable to escape. The majority of people trafficked are migrant workers, hoping for work and hoping for an escape from poverty. Traffickers transport individuals to other countries and regions where upon arrival, individuals have their passports taken away from them and are forced into work that they did not intend to do. Traffickers use violence, deception tactics and psychological methods to trap individuals into thinking they have no way of escaping.

Sexual Exploitation

Individuals trafficked into countries to be exploited by the sex industry are often unaware of their captors intentions. Sex traffickers target children between the ages of 12 and 17 because they are the most vulnerable and least likely to escape their owners. Individuals are coerced into sex, working long shifts and receiving little pay. Those that disobey their pimps and owners may be subject to physical and psychological abuse. According to Not For Sale Campaign, sex trafficking is masked as prostitution and therefore the public does not feel outraged. To add to this, the public is unable to understand the link between trafficking and the sex industry.
 

Action

Modern slavery and human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry generating $32 billion USD per year, according to the United Nations. Because of the enormous potential for profit, millions of people are subjected to forced labour and exploitation. These people are unprotected from legislations and governments in many third-world countries. In order to help safeguard victims from any further harm, governments need to be pressured to create swift reforms to prohibit all forms of human slavery and trafficking. All victims of modern slavery need to be provided with protection and support to allow them to rebuild their life once they have been freed from their captors. Individuals can help reduce the exploitation of people around the world by pressuring governments to create new laws to help combat slavery. Raising awareness of human trafficking and forced labour and highlighting the link between prostitution and trafficking will help convince others to take action. Finally, all of us can encourage retailers to stock ethical products with the fairtrade logo so that workers get a fair wage and decent standard of living.