SLAVERY IS ALIFE & WELL

So there is slavery everywhere and why are people shocked about this??? Not me! I have seen slavery and I have met slaves and touched slaves. Slavery is everywhere and I know it is deep in the Earth’s crust, on the ocean floors, in international business and relationships, in every nook and cranny of this Earth. Even some of the UFOs sighted now and then are carrying alien slaves or have probably whisked away some earthlings into inter galactic slavery.
Slavery was the topic on Larry King Live this morning and the discussants mentioned how slavery is on the rise in every corner of the world. I thought to myself ‘Are they just knowing that? There might even be a slave in the CNN studio or maybe one of the discussants is even a slave plotting his or her escape through the show.’ Jokes aside, did anyone really ever think that slavery would disappear just like that, something that has been with us for all eternity? From the moment man developed society where there were tribal chiefs, clan heads etc etc, someone had to be at the bottom rung of the ladder. Whipping and torture do not define slavery although they formed a basic part of ancient slavery. For a good while, Larry king thought that the slave issue was all about illegal immigrant workers but got a rude awakening when told that there were American slaves, citizens of the US of A. Slavers would comb the streets for vulnerable young boys and girls. The bait would be a well turned out good-looking boy or girl, an epitome of the good life.
When I said there are slaves in the crust of the earth and in the depths of the oceans, I meant it because there are slaves working the mines and diving for oysters, scallops and other exotic shellfish. They mostly only get a meal or two daily for these dangerous jobs while the slavers or middlemen and the big guns in the cities make a killing. Farmers are not exempt from this and they are just as culpable as the others.
There are those employed as domestics aka houseboys and housegirls as they are generally referred to in my country and West Africa. Readers from this region must be familiar with these young children directly or indirectly. It is still common practice to go into a home and find a child from about 6yrs upwards doing menial jobs from sundown to sunset. The child (mostly girls) sleeps on the bare floor, is up at about 5am, gets the children ready for school, prepares their meal, washes their clothes and gets little or no medical treatment. As soon as there is a sign of dangerous ailment, she is bundled back to her village. Starvation forces villagers to sell their children outright or just hand them over to people from the city who have promised to treat the kids as one of theirs. In fact, some of the children and the slavers are related but you would not know that when you see the treatment meted out to them.
Prostitution I gather is the most profiting of the slave trades and the most successful are the East Europeans. East European girls and women are the hottest in this biz. They are wanted in the Americas, Western Europe, Africa and anywhere there are men. Asian women, especially children are hot in illegal sex trade not only outside their borders but also within. It is a great tourist attraction.
Men seeking a better life outside their countries get involved with all sorts of dubious characters and death is never too far from them. They suffocate in containers, die by drowning, fall off Lorries, and are crushed to death by oncoming vehicles. Many more are killed by those they have engaged to see them through. What bugs me is the kind of money paid for these ill-fated adventures, I wonder why such amounts could not be put to better use.
What about slavery involving Nations or one Nation and an International body? This I believe is called Economic and financial slavery. Where a Sovereign state owes so much money that its day to day affair is supervised by creditors. Do you remember when the IMF almost had our soul?
In almost everything we wear or eat there is a touch of slavery but how are we to know; be vigilant, discourage slavery where you can . Cheap labour is another disguise for slavery. Be reasonable with people you employ; do not cheat or cash in on their lowly status.