Slavery Still Prospers Worldwide
The human trafficking turnover surpasses the turnover of drugs and
weapons sales
August 23rd is celebrated in the world as Day for the Remembrance of
the Slave Trade and its Abolition. It is not only a remembrance day, but
also a day to struggle against slavery. According to Unesco, millions
of men, women and children still live in slavery worldwide. Unesco's
head, Koichiro Matsuura, described slavery as an "unprecedented tragedy,"
which was concealed for many years. "Although abolished and penalized
in international instruments, slavery is still practiced in new forms,"
he said.
The choice of the date is not incidental. On August 23, 1791 a
rebellion took place on San Domingo Island (Haiti), which entered history as
the first victory of slaves against their oppressors. The mutiny led to a
long-lasting, bloody, albeit successful war to liberate Haiti. In 1804
Haiti was proclaimed the first African republic.
Unesco organized numerous events across the world to commemorate.
However, the issue of up-to-date slavery is still highly important in global
scale - from Latin America to Russia. According to experts' estimates,
the human trafficking turnover surpasses the turnover of drugs and
weapons trafficking. UN specialists believe women and children make up
two-thirds of modern slaves.
Having taken the office, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
announced the need to introduce tough laws, according to which the land
of slave farms will be confiscated. The president started taking active
efforts to root out the slavery, which is still practiced in certain
remote districts of Brazil. According to official estimates, there is an
estimated 25,000 slaves in Brazil. There are numerous stories telling
of landless peasants, who would be hired for work, and then they would
find themselves in huge debt. Landowners make them pay excessive money
for everything - from food and water to tools they use in their work.
Armed security guards do not let them escape.
The process to acknowledge slavery and human trafficking in Russia is
very slow. Specialists have not studied the forms and scale of slave
trade in Russia yet. It is known, however, the world has been inundated
with sex slaves of the Slavic origin during the recent 10-15 years.
From Russia and CIS states slaves are trafficked to the west, east and
south via the Middle East, St.Petersburg, Kaliningrad, the Caucasus and
the Black Sea. A certain part of them flies directly from Moscow - they
fall victims of criminal travel, employment agencies and marriage
firms.
According to the Israeli police, about 3,000 women are trafficked to
Israel's sex industry annually. The average age of female slaves is 22
years old. There were incidents, when the police arrested under-age
prostitutes. Ninety percent of sex slaves are trafficked via Egypt. The cost
of one sex slave varies between $4,000-10,000 depending on age,
appearance, quality of forged documents, etc. According to the report from the
US Department of State in 2004, Israel was categorized as the state,
the government of which does not take all necessary measures to struggle
against the human trade.
Slavery is prospering both in Russia and in former Soviet republics. In
addition to prostitutes, homeless and parentless children suffer there
too. They become an easy spoil for traffickers of humans and human
organs. There are a lot of variants to use the oppressed labor: non-market
work, debt servitude, hiring people for their further exploitation. An
underpaid work is also to be considered as slavery. It is an open
secret, employers often hire illegal migrants: they blackmail them with
police, withdraw passports from them and run them into debt.
Captive Russian soldiers and abducted people are often sold to Chechen
militants as slaves. Owners keep their slaves chained in basements or
barns, make them starve and work beyond strength.
The Chechens use various methods to obtain slaves. They attract
provincial townsfolk to farm work. As soon as they start working for
slave-owners on their fields, there are practically no chances left for them to
return home. Homeless people become slaves rather frequently: nobody
will start looking for a person without any social ties. It is cheaper to
keep the homeless than cattle. Slave-owners often cooperate with local
law-enforcement officers.
Read the original in Russian: (Translated by: Dmitry Sudakov)
Pravda.Ru Related links:
Utro
PRAVDA.Ru Sex slave traders sold girls at $500,000
PRAVDA.Ru Police Arrest Crimean Slave Trafficker Couple
PRAVDA.Ru Four Chechen Slave Traders Arrested
PRAVDA.Ru Slavery in the dock
PRAVDA.Ru Slavery in Europe
PRAVDA.Ru Guns, fear, hate, and profit - the true American way
PRAVDA.Ru There is slavery in Holland, not only in Chechnya
weapons sales
August 23rd is celebrated in the world as Day for the Remembrance of
the Slave Trade and its Abolition. It is not only a remembrance day, but
also a day to struggle against slavery. According to Unesco, millions
of men, women and children still live in slavery worldwide. Unesco's
head, Koichiro Matsuura, described slavery as an "unprecedented tragedy,"
which was concealed for many years. "Although abolished and penalized
in international instruments, slavery is still practiced in new forms,"
he said.
The choice of the date is not incidental. On August 23, 1791 a
rebellion took place on San Domingo Island (Haiti), which entered history as
the first victory of slaves against their oppressors. The mutiny led to a
long-lasting, bloody, albeit successful war to liberate Haiti. In 1804
Haiti was proclaimed the first African republic.
Unesco organized numerous events across the world to commemorate.
However, the issue of up-to-date slavery is still highly important in global
scale - from Latin America to Russia. According to experts' estimates,
the human trafficking turnover surpasses the turnover of drugs and
weapons trafficking. UN specialists believe women and children make up
two-thirds of modern slaves.
Having taken the office, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
announced the need to introduce tough laws, according to which the land
of slave farms will be confiscated. The president started taking active
efforts to root out the slavery, which is still practiced in certain
remote districts of Brazil. According to official estimates, there is an
estimated 25,000 slaves in Brazil. There are numerous stories telling
of landless peasants, who would be hired for work, and then they would
find themselves in huge debt. Landowners make them pay excessive money
for everything - from food and water to tools they use in their work.
Armed security guards do not let them escape.
The process to acknowledge slavery and human trafficking in Russia is
very slow. Specialists have not studied the forms and scale of slave
trade in Russia yet. It is known, however, the world has been inundated
with sex slaves of the Slavic origin during the recent 10-15 years.
From Russia and CIS states slaves are trafficked to the west, east and
south via the Middle East, St.Petersburg, Kaliningrad, the Caucasus and
the Black Sea. A certain part of them flies directly from Moscow - they
fall victims of criminal travel, employment agencies and marriage
firms.
According to the Israeli police, about 3,000 women are trafficked to
Israel's sex industry annually. The average age of female slaves is 22
years old. There were incidents, when the police arrested under-age
prostitutes. Ninety percent of sex slaves are trafficked via Egypt. The cost
of one sex slave varies between $4,000-10,000 depending on age,
appearance, quality of forged documents, etc. According to the report from the
US Department of State in 2004, Israel was categorized as the state,
the government of which does not take all necessary measures to struggle
against the human trade.
Slavery is prospering both in Russia and in former Soviet republics. In
addition to prostitutes, homeless and parentless children suffer there
too. They become an easy spoil for traffickers of humans and human
organs. There are a lot of variants to use the oppressed labor: non-market
work, debt servitude, hiring people for their further exploitation. An
underpaid work is also to be considered as slavery. It is an open
secret, employers often hire illegal migrants: they blackmail them with
police, withdraw passports from them and run them into debt.
Captive Russian soldiers and abducted people are often sold to Chechen
militants as slaves. Owners keep their slaves chained in basements or
barns, make them starve and work beyond strength.
The Chechens use various methods to obtain slaves. They attract
provincial townsfolk to farm work. As soon as they start working for
slave-owners on their fields, there are practically no chances left for them to
return home. Homeless people become slaves rather frequently: nobody
will start looking for a person without any social ties. It is cheaper to
keep the homeless than cattle. Slave-owners often cooperate with local
law-enforcement officers.
Read the original in Russian: (Translated by: Dmitry Sudakov)
Pravda.Ru Related links:
Utro
PRAVDA.Ru Sex slave traders sold girls at $500,000
PRAVDA.Ru Police Arrest Crimean Slave Trafficker Couple
PRAVDA.Ru Four Chechen Slave Traders Arrested
PRAVDA.Ru Slavery in the dock
PRAVDA.Ru Slavery in Europe
PRAVDA.Ru Guns, fear, hate, and profit - the true American way
PRAVDA.Ru There is slavery in Holland, not only in Chechnya
posted by R7 | 8/24/2004 08:35:00 PM
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