We needn't look far to recognize society's greatest ills . . . among them, slavery. There exists a continuum of privilege in the minds of some that prevents realization of every person's inherent value and right to fair exchange of valued human resource. Far from an idea born of a burgeoning American society, slavery has been a negative aspect of humanity for about as long as we care to look back. Unfortunately, modes of slavery continue to adapt to political circumstances.
Modern slavery is rampant in sex work (roughly 20% children) war and labor. Average cost of a slave in the modern global economy is $90, in stark contrast to early nineteenth-century valuations with an inflation rate adjustment to $40,000. The value of a human slave in a well-stocked market has plummeted significantly, same as can happen in any industry. Under these circumstances, it's safe to say that the proliferation of modern-day slavery is almost without bounds.
Slavery in the United States
While the informing image above floats the web courtesy of Free the Slaves, an organization that particularly works against slavery in India, Nepal, Congo, Ghana, Haiti and Senegal, it is representative of their global advocacy figures. No country is immune. Slavery in the United States may not seem obvious, but it exists . . . and not all of it is hidden in our nooks and crannies.
Some will reasonably argue that U.S. citizens, despite their infamous freedom, exist in an ever-increasing vacuum of serfdom that could only be described as a form of slavery (wage slavery). While this development contains truth, we're drawing attention today to forms of slavery that exist beyond the pattern of regular, civilly-endorsed working life . . . at the particularly frayed edges of society that are typically ignored or written off as cultural consequences.
We're specifically referring to hidden aspects of domestic labor, sex trade, marriage and other areas capable of that dark bleakness where both citizens and undocumented immigrants may easily fall due to lack of resources, knowledge, or will to effect their own lives of freedom.
We mention marriage not because marriage itself is a negative institution but because it and pregnancy, separately considered, can still be vessels of free labor, non-consensual sex, and other manifestations of human usage. These problems exist as unlawful yet largely overlooked aspects of human trade. These otherwise common, rightful and fruitfully-regarded relationships and health statuses still hold much power over some individuals and thus remain tools of exploitation.
Civilly-Accepted Forms of Slavery in the U.S.
Forced marriage and cut-rate pay to the undocumented laboring denizen are possibly the least recognized forms of slavery, and they can each lead to generations of subjugation. With airs of indentured servitude, these scenarios are an unfortunate consequence of ineffective economic and legal systems.
Forced marriage in the U.S. can be defined as marriage without the consent of one party. In the U.S. as well as abroad, the young may be forced into marriages via "familial deception, cultural tradition, emotional blackmail and threats of abuse or even death" to meet needs or wishes of often unknown origin.
There are servile marriages that exist and are compounded by the problem of foreign bride purchases in deals that seemingly offer some benefit to each trading party. Often, foreign brides are sought in efforts to replace a formerly occupied familial position of a household or as an alternative to dealing with a potentially independently-minded 'American woman'. Poverty-stricken children from around the globe are sometimes entered into sexual relationships and eventual marriages according to the opportunity to receive money back home to their families. This specific problem takes root in an unbalanced economy, attitudes of revenge or retaliation against women's liberation or a generalized lack of loyalty to the tenets of a free and equal society as has been established and that we continually work to reestablish and maintain in the United States.
A More Obvious Issue of Modern Slavery: Sex Trade
Some will distinguish between prostitution and trafficking, but they are closely related and intertwined as a result of unstable homes as well as educational, economic and job opportunity structures. If we lifted bans on sex as trade, we'd still have trafficking because we civilly support the indulgences of the predatory and create spaces for this behavior to thrive through economy. Prostitutes, underage runaways, playing children and walking women remain susceptible on the streets, in schools and churches, and at home to predatory sexual deviants and sex traffickers fueled by an acceptance of societal mediocrity.
At least, there are lines are drawn, and we have some way and hope to combat the madness. Human trafficking involves the use of fraud, coercion or force to obtain labor or sex. Our main trick is to be able to identify immediate issues when we see them, and to recognize pervasive cultural standards that contribute to the problem. By paying attention to our surroundings and being aware of the signs, we can provide an enlarged effort at eradication of the most severe transgressions of mutual respect and human capability. Instead of looking away in favor of our own more fortunate lots in life, we can be open to and capable of identifying issues and work to resolve them.
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Action Steps to Stop Human Trafficking:
- Learn to recognize human trafficking via DHS awareness training
- Report suspected human trafficking (save this number to your phone for quick access): 1-866-347-2423
- Get help via hotline: 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to: BeFree (233733)
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Further Reading:
-Read about the common myths of slavery
-Learn about a young girl who only wanted to work
-Maid service in the Middle East
-Read about Lola Pulido, one of many domestic slaves in the U.S. She worked for 56 years without pay.
-How domestic workers become slaves
-Domestic servitude has ever been a gateway to suppression and poverty
-U.S. Construction industry contributes to modern slavery
-"Farm workers are some of the most oppressed workers in the United States"
-Forced labor "more common that you might think" in the United States
