There are more people enslaved today than at any time in human history. Including during the transatlantic slave trade days.

Why dont we hear more about this?

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/feb/25/modern-slavery-trafficking-persons-one-in-200

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ElwoodBlues · M

The modern definition is rather far from the original definition.

Forced labor is the biggest component of modern slavery

Many of the people characterized as modern slaves endure conditions considered "forced labor" — employed but unable to quit because their employer withholds their earnings, they owe debt to their employer or, for migrants, their employer threatens deportation.

In 2021, 28 million people were estimated to be working under forced labor conditions — an eighth of whom were children. According to the report, the majority of cases were found in the private sector, while in about 14% of cases governments imposed work requirements as a form of punishment, among other reasons. The greatest prevalence of forced labor was in Arab countries, followed by Europe and Central Asia.

The report also estimated roughly 22 million people were living in forced marriages in 2021. The number of people involuntarily wedded grew by 6.6 million compared to 2016. Nearly two-thirds of all forced marriages were found to be in Asia and the Pacific, followed by Africa, the survey found.

One of the drivers of forced and child marriages is poverty — oftentimes financially desperate families see marriage as a means to secure a stable future for their children, according to the report.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/09/13/1122714064/modern-slavery-global-estimate-increase

DarkHeaven ·

@ElwoodBlues comparing numbers to says what’s worse is like trying to compare pain, and maybe not helpful. however, exploitation is exploitation… and we should be better as people than all of this. it honestly makes me sick.

ElwoodBlues · M

@DarkHeaven Agreed. Unfortunately, most of the exploitation is taking place in Africa & Arab countries where we in the West have little leverage.

DarkHeaven ·

@ElwoodBlues
“the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members”
— Mahatma Gandhi

ElwoodBlues · M

@DarkHeaven Too true. And, sadly, I believe that many of the world's forced marriages are child brides in India. Not that it's terribly common there, but with 1.4 billion population, the numbers add up fast.

DarkHeaven ·

@ElwoodBlues horrible. I watched Special Ops: Lioness on paramount and the basically arranged (forced) marriage on that show broke my heart. I can’t even imagine if it was a child… and real.

Ozymandiaz

@ElwoodBlues No one is claiming it is chattel slavery although it still exists to various degrees. What I don't understand is that people will obfuscate with semantics. Rather than acknowledge the issue.

It has the sense to me of some old timer using the "In my day argument" to trivialise the plight of a younger generation.

I am in no way saying that is what you are doing but I am very wary of people using the argument.