Different Forms of Modern Day Slavery

Throughout history millions of people have been denied basic human rights. In the 21st century it is now known as modern day slavery. Modern day slavery is “holding someone in compelled service, treating people like objects, or forcing them to work for little or no compensation with no ability to leave the job” (Peter, 1). There is not just one form of slavery, it ranges to a variety of forms that affect the victims equally as bad. Modern day slavery has become the idea of easy money, selfishness and hopelessness. One form of modern day slavery is sex trafficking. It is known for being “the fastest growing form worldwide” (Sukach,1). Sex trafficking is when “someone uses force, fraud or coercion to cause a commercial sex act” (Sharedhope,1). Children, preteens and women are most wanted for commercial sex trade. Around “2 million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade” (IJM,1).

The victims of sex trafficking experience “being beaten, forcibly injected with narcotics” (IJM,1) and being emotionally drained. An example of sex trafficking comes from Nayantara. She was naïve and accepted a job offer from someone she met at work and was then “forced to have sex with 35 men each day with only 5 hours of sleep” USDEPOFSTATE). She was beaten with an iron pole when refusing to have sex and was not allowed to contact her family. Her story is one out of millions. There are many societal factors that contribute to the existence of sex trafficking, yet some do differ depending on the location. Some of the factors that are involved in sex trafficking are “influenced by social, economic, cultural” (454) problems. Victims do not only come from backgrounds of poverty, but also people that are financially stable. It’s most popular in “countries with weak justice systems, where perpetrators know they are unlikely to face any significant consequences” (IJM, 1). Sex trafficking will not disappear just because it is illegal, but it could diminish in numbers if countries had stronger punishments. Also, in third world countries equality for women should be persuaded in work fields and in education. In some third world countries women are drawn back from obtaining an education and a job, making them vulnerable to sex traffickers. Sex traffickers tend to lie to their victims promising them “protection, home and opportunity” (Sharedhope,1).

This leaves them no other choice then to escape the situation they are in, to try and have a “better future” for themselves making them naïve to the consequences that come along. Just as victims get lured into sex trafficking, the necessity for money makes families and individuals vulnerable to debt bondage. Getting involved in debt bondage can be done easily in lower developed countries where people are in need of basic necessities. Economic factors in these countries contribute to the existence of debt bondage from families and people in general. Debt bondage “happens when people give themselves into slavery as a security against a loan or when they inherit a debt from a relative” (1). Whether it’s because someone is repaying a loan or they had it inherited, trying to repay the loan is made impossible. Victims of debt bondage end up working in brutal conditions and working excessive hours. It has been known that “50% of the 24. 9m people in forced labor are in debt bondage” (Cock). In different countries debt bondage is a trend that is constantly happening. One example is in India where “836 million Indians live on less than 50 cents a day” (EndSlaveryNow,1). This makes victims stay with their “owner” in order for them to have food, shelter and at the end of the day a life. With all the sources that they are obtaining, the person they owe the money to accumulates that onto the debt they already owe. Debt bondage victims could escape the situation they are in if they knew their rights, and if the government would enforce their rights too. These victims rely on just what they know of and do not stretch to find possible opportunities due to them being threatened etc. It could “consist of international pressure on the government to take action, possibly with international assistance being made available to ensure that the victims of forced labor are properly rehabilitated”. (Dottridge,1). Even though victims of debt bondage are being overworked for money that they owe, they are able to have shelter, food and clothes. Some of those things they would not have access to because of the amount of money they don’t have.

Children are often vulnerable to the idea of having money when all they have known is poverty. Child labor is defined as “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development” (ILO). There are situations where children are put into intensive labor due to their family being involved in debt bondage. But there are also occasions where children are forced into these labors because they have been lured, or are simply trying to help out their family. “More than 200 million children today are child laborer's” (TheWorldCounts). Some of these children are engaged in hazardous jobs working in farms and factories. The jobs that children are working affect their physical and mental health tremendously. Children lose the opportunity of education, childhood and their whole life. The reason that child labor is still occurring is because of the demand of various items around developing and developed countries. Child labor is cheaper than adult labor, having the owners want more children doing the job. Children tend to be naïve and do a lot of things that an adult would not accept to do. Some ways that consumers of the products made from child labor can be reduced is by not buying products done by children. One way of figuring out what is not made from children is by looking for Fair Trade products, because “Fair trade products are produced without the use of child labor” (Theworldcounts).

When consumers of the products made from child labor, we come part of the reason why child labor is still occurring. When the demand of those products being to decrease, children would stop being used to make that product. While child labor is not right, children are being able to raise some type of money to help themselves. Something they would not be able to do without the job. Another form of modern day slavery is forced marriages. Forced marriage is when “individuals don’t have the option to refuse or are promised and married to another by parents, guardians, relatives or other groups” (Endalaverynow,1). Forced marriages can be found in developed countries, but is mainly found in developing countries. Economic and cultural factors influence forced marriages in developing countries, due to the necessity of money and strong cultural beliefs. People that agree with forced marriage think of it as being a “family matter”(CanadaDOJ), meaning the parents decide who their child marries because it’s what they think is appropriate for them. There are families that think of forced marriage as an exit door from poverty marrying someone of a high class. It ends up being a big problem in impoverished areas of Africa and South Asia due to the lack of money and rights that women have. India is one of the areas where forced marriage is really common. Girls that are married at a young age lose their childhood and a lot of opportunities. Education becomes impossible, adulthood comes faster and their freedom is taken. An example of forced marriage due to economic problems comes from Nagris. Nagris was only 16 when she had to get married because her parents “could not afford to support her anymore” (Childmother)”.

“In 2003, The International Center for Research on Women estimated that over 51 million girls under the age 18 were forcibly married. ”(EndSlaveryNow). By helping women have equality in lower developed countries, improving education, and not silencing the rights that women have forced marriages could decrease. Having programs for girls that have been forced into forced marriage, and speak up on their experiences could influence the community. Girls would not be afraid to speak up and would look for help. Forced marriages is not right, but is a necessary evil for families and people that are in deep needs. This option could be their only way out of poverty. Forced marriage could be the only way they have a home, food, and eventually a family. Modern day slavery has taken away human rights of millions. Their whole life belongs to someone and are considered objects. Even though modern day slavery is not right, people in less developed countries find slavery their only way out of poverty. Victims have become vulnerable to the idea of life. Whether it’s through sex trafficking, debt bondage, child labor or forced marriage slavery will continue to grow if not contained.