Modern Day Slavery – Cheap labour

Modern slavery

A form of slavery that exists in the 21st century, in which people are illegally forced to work and prevented from escaping.

It is estimated that millions of people around the world are victims of modern slavery.

Oxford Dictionary

Page Description

Explore how modern-day slavery fuels cheap labor,
exploiting vulnerable individuals through forced work
and human trafficking for profit.

Modern Slavery

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Sir Mo Farah

Slavery

Slave trade

Cobalt-mining

King Leopold II

Modern Slavery: The Most-Afflicted Countries

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3 aug 2017

These ten countries have the most people living in modern slavery, or victims of human trafficking.
 

Script:
Slavery used to look like this, then it evolved into this, and today it looks like this.

In fact, there are an estimated 45.8 million people living in modern slavery across 167 different countries. They fall into three general categories: children held in the commercial sex trade; adults held in the commercial sex trade; and any other laborer made to work through force, fraud, or coercion.

The trafficking victim often looks like anybody else at work in a mine, on a farm, in a factory. Many are lured by promises of a steady job in another country, only to have their passports confiscated when they arrive. However, many slaves work in their native countries or even the cities where they were born.

According to The Global Slavery Index, these ten countries are home to the most modern slaves. They each suffer from income inequality, discrimination and classism, and entrenched corruption.

Number ten, Indonesia, produces about 35% of the world’s palm oil. The many small palm plantations present an immense challenge to inspectors trying to crack down on child labor. The country’s many islands are also home to tens of thousands of enslaved fisherman trafficked from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia.

Number nine is the Democratic Republic of Congo. 20,000 of the DRC’s more than 870,000 slaves live in one of the most hellish landscapes on the planet, a vast ore mine in the east of the country.

The terrorist group Boko Haram gets overshadowed by ISIS, although it kills more people. When it comes to enslavement, one of its tactics is to give Nigerian entrepreneurs loans and then force them to join their group if they fail to repay fast enough.

Seventh is Russia. 55% of the slaves there work in construction. Foreigners are lured mainly from nearby Azerbaijan, the “stans,” Ukraine, and North Korea—thanks to this border on the far eastern edge of Russia.

The North Korean government is the world’s largest single slaveholder. Not only does it force more than one million of its people to toil in labor camps and other similarly hopeless situations, but it actually loans out some people to work in neighboring China and Russia, then pockets most of their wages. This exploitation generates about $2.3B each year for the Kim Jong-un regime.

The fifth most enslaved country, Uzbekistan, is the world’s sixth largest producer of cotton. It has benefited from forced labor, as the government puts more than 1 million people to work using threats of debt bondage, heavy fines, asset confiscation, and police intimidation.

Slave recruiters in Bangladesh promise poor families that their boys will be given a job, only to be enslaved on a faraway island and beaten to clean fish for up to 24 hours straight. Often, these fish are exported as cat food for our pets. Sometimes, the boys meet a gruesome death when they are eaten by tigers while searching for firewood.

Third is Pakistan, which has suffered through decades of conflict, terrorism, and displacement—especially along its northwestern border with Afghanistan. Its provinces have not raised the minimum age of marriage, which has allowed the widespread problem of forced and child weddings to continue.

Over 250 million Chinese have migrated within the country to find better opportunities, creating the ideal conditions for human trafficking. Each year, 58 million children are ‘left behind’ as their parents search of work in the China’s many booming cities. Every year, up to 70,000 children fall into forced begging, illegal adoption, and sex slavery.

And number one is India, which has – by far – the most victims of modern slavery. While economic growth has greatly reduced the percentage of its citizens living in poverty, the country’s sheer size still results in more than 270 million Indians living on less than $2/day. It’s unsurprising that inter-generational bonded labor, forced child labor, commercial sexual exploitation, forced begging, forced recruitment into nonstate armed groups, and forced marriage all exist in India. The government has already created many of the laws necessary to fight the epidemic, but the challenge is enforcing those laws and tracking improvements and areas of continued need.

1 Modern slavery, hidden in plain sight | Kate Garbers | TEDxExeter

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1 jun. 2018

If you think slavery is a thing of the past, think again. Millions of people around the world are trapped in modern slavery – and they could be working for you. In this powerful talk Kate Garbers makes the unseen seen and helps us spot the signs of modern slavery in our midst.

Kate Garbers is a founder and director of Unseen, a charity that provides safety, hope and choice to survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery. As well as providing 24/7 supported safe accommodation for survivors and the UK’s National Modern Slavery Helpline, Unseen works to raise awareness of this crime. Kate has spent the last ten years working directly with survivors, law enforcement agencies and governments to work out how we can effectively tackle the issue of trafficking and slavery.

At TEDxExeter 2018 we focussed on making connections – and building bridges. Our speakers challenged us to reflect on how, in this interconnected, interdependent world, global issues affect all of our lives, and our actions affect others. In these turbulent times of shock political outcomes, “fake news”, data breaches, war, mass migration, rapid technological progress and climate change we believe that ideas have the power to change attitudes, lives, and ultimately, the world.

TEDxExeter Curator – Claire Kennedy @clairekennedy__ – http://tedxexeter.com
Production Manager – Andy Robertson @geekdadgamer – http://www.youtube.com/familygamertv
Film & Livestream – First Sight Media @firstsightmedia – http://firstsightmedia.co.uk/ Kate Garbers is a founder and director of Unseen, a charity that provides safety, hope and choice to survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery. As well as providing 24/7 supported safe accommodation for survivors and the UK’s National Modern Slavery Helpline, Unseen works to raise awareness of this crime. Kate has spent the last ten years working directly with survivors, law enforcement agencies and governments to work out how we can effectively tackle the issue of trafficking and slavery. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

IMPORTANT CONTENT

Very well done

2 Modern-day slavery in supply chains | Dan Viederman | TEDxBerkeley

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26 mrt. 2015

What is the price of cheap labor? Dan Viederman explores how inexpensive items can have a huge price.
 
As CEO of Verité, Dan Viederman has worked closely with NGOs, governments, investors, and the biggest multinational brands in the world to improve working conditions and eliminate human rights violations across geographies and business sectors. For the impact that Verité has had on the millions of workers around the world, Viederman was the winner of a 2007 Skoll Foundation Award for Social Entrepreneurship, and was named 2011 Social Entrepreneur of the Year in the United States by the Geneva, Switzerland-based Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Dan has managed NGOs in developing countries since 1993 and worked with internationally-recognized institutions such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Catholic Relief Services. He has lived extensively in Asia and speaks Chinese. Dan is a graduate of Yale University, the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, and Nanjing Teacher’s University.
 
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
 

3 Breaking the shackles of modern-day slavery | Cameron Harris | TEDxUGA

3 mei 2017

Modern-day slavery is today’s largest growing illegal industry, bringing in $150 billion in revenue every year. Cameron Harris is an undergraduate at UGA who founded Breaking the Shackles, a non-profit that mobilizes others in the fight against human trafficking. His talk exposes the audience to the tragedies of modern-day slavery and provides strategies for taking action. 
 
Cameron Harris is a fourth-year undergraduate studying marketing and is a Leonard Leadership Scholar from Marietta, GA. He is very active in campus organizations like the Wesley Foundation, Beta Upsilon Chi, and Breaking the Shackles. Harris founded Breaking the Shackles at UGA, a 501(c)3 non-profit and student organization that raises awareness, collects funds, and mobilizes others to fight human trafficking. In his free time, he likes to play racquetball at Ramsay and develop deep friendships with the community. 
 
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
 
 
IMPORTANT CONTENT

4 Witness: Illuminating the World of Modern-day Slavery: Lisa Kristine at TEDxMaui

27 apr. 2012

About the Speaker:
 
Acclaimed humanitarian photographer Lisa Kristine specializes in images of remote indigenous peoples. Best known for her evocative and saturated use of color, Kristine has collaborated with international humanitarian organizations and is often asked to present her work to inspire discussions on human rights and social change.
 
Recorded at TEDxMaui 2012, held on January 22, 2012 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.
 
IMPORTANT CONTENT
 
Must be seen
 
Emotional and shocking

Forced labour in supply chains

 

BBC World Service Business Daily 12-01-2021

China is forcing hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other minorities into hard, manual labour in the vast cotton fields of its western region of Xinjiang, according to BBC reports. As a result, apparel companies are facing mounting pressure to withdraw from economic ties with the region, and certainly to stop buying cotton from there. Chloe Cranston of UK-based Anti-Slavery International lays out the case for why companies need to avoid Xinjiang. But as we’ll hear from Andrew Morgan of veteran thread supplier Coats, even though the moral imperative is there, the apparel industry is not completely unified in motivation for change. And we’ll hear from two companies, boutique fashion brand Eileen Fisher and global furniture mainstay IKEA, on their efforts to have an ethical supply chain.

Producer: Frey Lindsay  (Picture credit: Getty Images)

5 Slavery still exists. Here’s how to end it. | Richard Lee | TEDxCapeMay

9 jan. 2018

For Americans, slavery is the stuff of history books, sailing ships and shackles. Richard Lee’s work with International Justice Mission shines a light on the complex socioeconomics of modern day slavery around the world, and offers hope for combatting it. Richard Lee serves as a Director of Church Mobilization for International Justice Mission. This role affords him the opportunity to equip churches and communities by sharing the biblical call to seek justice, introducing them to IJM’s work, and mobilizing them to engage in both local and global ministry.
 
Previously, Richard served as Campus Pastor at Liquid Church at their fastest-growing campus in Mountainside, New Jersey. Prior to that, he served as Lead Pastor at Bethany Well Church. He also started and led 2 networks for pastors, providing accountability and encouragement for local pastors. In addition, Richard has served as a Missions Field Director and Team Leader for missions trips around the globe, including trips to Mexico, China, and Ukraine. He is available to speak at church engagements, anti-human trafficking groups, and a variety of conferences. 
 
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
 
COMPELLING VERY WELL DONE TALK
 
MUST LISTEN TO

6 Modern Slavery Awareness

17 okt. 2016

NHS England Modern Slavery Awareness.

7 Modern slavery. How do we stop it?

12 sep. 2016

Why do businesses need to act now to stop modern slavery? Watch Norman Pickavance, Partner of Grant Thornton, thoughtful 5-minute long documentary about the history of slavery. What lessons can we learn from history? To abolish modern slavery businesses need to find their voice, go beyond compliance and collaborate more.

8 What Does Slavery Look Like Today?

22 feb. 2017

It’s an ancient abuse, but it persists throughout the world today. Slavery remains one of the greatest human rights challenges of history. Modern-day slavery looks different than the sailing ships and shackles we learned about in history class. Today, it’s largely hidden from sight. People now are trapped by different forces — less visible, but just as powerful. The Free the Slaves team exposes what slavery looks like today in this gripping new video, as well as examining how Free the Slaves assists people in slavery to break free.
 
Production credits: Producer/Editor: Cassie Angeline Timpy; Still Photographers: Peggy Callahan, Kay Chernush, Terry FitzPatrick, Zorba Leslie, Harold Linde, Zia Mazhar, Pete Pattisson, Robin Romano, ASSODIP Congo, CREDDHO Congo; Video: Terry FitzPatrick; Music: Dominic Messinger, Chris Zabriskie (The Temperature of Air on the Bow of the Kaleetan: freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabrisk­­ie/Undercover_Vampire_Policeman/01_-_Th­e­_Temperature_of_the_Air_on_the_Bow_of_­th­e_Kaleetan_1165); Slavery Statistics: Walk Free Global Slavery Index 2013, United Nations International Labor Organization Global Estimate of Forced Labor 2012; Executive Producer: Terry FitzPatrick.
 
IMPORTANT CONTENT

9 Famous Companies That Use Slavery

23 aug. 2017

SUPERLATIVES

Although the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 officially outlawed slavery worldwide, approximately 30 million people remain slaves today, according to the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation. These include people enslaved by debt bondage, child labor, human trafficking, forced marriage, and forced labor. With many powerful companies moving their labour overseas to exploit cheaper, less strict labour laws, the very real problem of slavery is huge . While countries like India (14 million) China (3 million) and Thailand (.473 million) rank amongst the highest offenders, it is estimated that even in the US there are about 60,000 slaves! Watch as SUPERLATIVES takes a look at 5 Famous MAJOR Companies That Use Slavery.

1. COTTON Picking forced on civilians by Uzbekistan. Forever 21, H&M, Toys R Us and Urban Outfitters.

SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/opinion…

2. COCOA industry in the Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) produces nearly half of the worlds Cocoa. 90% of it, is produced using slavery. Hershey’s, MARS, Kraft and Nestle have all been linked.

SOURCE: http://anonhq.com/7-famous-brands-tha…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-mgX…

3. FOXCONN is an electronics manufacturer in China who has been linked to major labour violations producing for companies like Apple, Amazon, Hewlett Packard and Dell.

SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/technolog…

https://www.cnet.com/pictures/the-mak…

4. CARPET BELT in India is tainted by an ugly truth of child slavery. Kidnapped children are placed into looms and forced to weave carpets that end up in major retailers like Macy’s, Target and IKEA.

SOURCE: https://cdn2.sph.harvard.edu/wp-conte…

https://www.forbes.com/sites/meghabah…

5. CLOTHING SEWING is often done by american companies going overseas and building factories that often outsource their labour to sweatshops who use slavery. Walmart has been linked to use this labour today and several companies were caught in 2000 using sweatshops in Saipan. Calvin Klein, Target, J.C. Penny and Abercrombie & Fitch just to name a few.

10 Special Report: Exploited: Britain’s Hidden Slaves

24 okt. 2017

Victims of modern slavery are not being protected well enough, with many police forces failing to recognise the true scale of human trafficking, says the police watchdog for England and Wales.
 
Sky News has obtained exclusive figures showing that less than 1 in 50 cases the police get involved with results in a successful conviction.
 
This special report comes from our correspondent Adele Robinson.

11 ‘I was just a slave’: the foreign domestic staff living a life of five-star serfdom in London

11 jan. 2016

They live in some of London’s most exclusive locations, cooking, cleaning and caring for the children of a rich foreign elite.
 
But for many overseas domestic workers, the veneer of reflected glamour conceals a much darker world, one in which they are denied a passport, salary, food and even sleep while working 20-hour days. Unable to sever ties with their employers due to UK visa restrictions, and fearful of deportation or even arrest if they turn to the authorities, their only real source of hope lies with the small but increasingly vocal group of women who help them escape, and are now fighting to secure a change in the law.

12 Maid in Lebanon I (FULL VERSION) – english 2006

 

4 apr. 2011

Thousands of Asian women leave their homes each year to work as maids in the Arab World with the hope of securing a better economic future. Yet since their experiences are hidden behind closed doors, little is known of the fears and struggles they face while abroad.

Tracing women’s journeys from Sri Lanka to Lebanon, this film exposes the little known world of the domestic migrant worker. Since 1973 women have been migrating to Lebanon to work to fulfil the caring and cleaning needs of wealthier families. These women work for years to send money home for their financial futures. While some are able to succeed, many do not. Rather, their dreams are shattered in exploitive and abusive situations. In their own voices, the women in this film reveal cases of torture, rape, physical and mental abuse, and non-payment of wages.

The documentary provides an insightful and sensitive look into the lives of these migrant workers with interviews from family members, employers, hiring agents and specialists in the field. It explores the questions of why women migrate, why they often return to the Middle East multiple times, and why abuses occur.

Ultimately, the women’s harrowing accounts point to several solutions to the problems. As they speak of dreams, hard work, failed goals and triumphs, their stories reveal the immediate need for better legal protections at home and abroad.
Shot on location in Lebanon and Sri Lanka.

13 Tackling Modern Slavery – Stronger Together

 

12 jun. 2014

Anti-human trafficking/forced labour video which tells the story of Daniel and Weronika who were victims of Modern Slavery. This can also be used in induction and worker training programmes and is available with multi-language subtitles.

14 Clandestine employment of Indians in Italy | DW Documentary (Migrant documentary)

15 okt. 2018

In Italy, thousands of Indians are employed as cheap labor in the agriculture sector. It’s an exploitative system that includes human smuggling. The working conditions are inhumane. But they enable cheap vegetables in supermarkets.
 
Some 30,000 people originally from India live in the province of Latina. Many do not have papers. Most work in one of the 10,000 local companies that produce wheat, fruit and wine. The conditions are often terrible, with working days lasting 14 hours – for three euros an hour. Many of the recruiters are themselves from India and they’ve developed a human trafficking scheme to bring more workers from India. They exploit the fact that many Indians are hoping to escape poverty at home. A report by Margherita Bettoni, Naomi Conrad and Aasim Saleem. _______
 
DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch high-class documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary.

15 The African women trafficked to Italy for sex work

10 apr. 2018

Thousands of African women are trafficked to Italy and forced into sex work. How does a former sex slave who married one of her clients now rescue women from the clutches of human trafficking gangs?
 
More on Princess and the Sex Slaves: http://bit.ly/2GBeNPS

16 Freeing girls trafficked to Italy for sex: ‘You will not be a slave for ever’

8 aug. 2016

Thousands of women and girls are being trafficked to Italy from Nigeria, into a life of forced prostitution.
 
Abused and desperately vulnerable, they have a champion in Princess Okokon, who was herself trafficked from Nigeria in 1999. Okokon fled her captors, and, with her husband, Alberto, set up the NGO Piam Onus. Together they have helped hundreds of women in Asti and Sicily to escape their traffickers, giving them refuge and support.

17 Sex trafficking of African migrants in Europe is a ‘modern plague’

1 okt. 2016

African women seeking a better life in Europe face a long, perilous, often fatal journey across the Mediterranean. But when they do arrive, they confront yet another threatening prospect: conscription into sex slavery. Eighty percent of all Nigerian women who survive the trip to Italy end up coerced into prostitution by “Madams,” who are often former sex slaves themselves. Malcolm Brabant reports.

18 Forced into prostitution: To hell and back | DW Reporter

30 jan. 2016

Camilla from Nigeria wanted a better life in Europe – but people traffickers forced her to work as a prostitute for their profit. After seven years she was discovered by the police and deported. Back home, it’s been a big struggle returning to normality.

19 ‘I had to pay the money back by having sex’ | DW News

21 apr. 2016

Every year, thousands of Nigerian women are trafficked into Russia for sex. One woman told DW she came to the country to work in a supermarket. Instead, she was forced to have sex. Traffickers told her it was to cover the ‘cost’ of her journey.

20 Surprising Europe – Making ends meet

23 aug. 2011

African migrants in Europe have to deal with many obstacles when they are trying to meet the high expectations of their families. But the difficulty of life in Europe is not a message that people want to hear back in Africa. 
 
At Al Jazeera English, we focus on people and events that affect people’s lives. We bring topics to light that often go under-reported, listening to all sides of the story and giving a ‘voice to the voiceless.’ 
 
Reaching more than 270 million households in over 140 countries across the globe, our viewers trust Al Jazeera English to keep them informed, inspired, and entertained. Our impartial, fact-based reporting wins worldwide praise and respect. It is our unique brand of journalism that the world has come to rely on. 
 
We are reshaping global media and constantly working to strengthen our reputation as one of the world’s most respected news and current affairs channels.

21 Enslaved in Libya: What to do about exploited African migrants?

21 nov. 201

 

A slave auction – in 2017. The video aired last week on CNN, confirming what had come out in a long string of reports and testimony: that Libyans were preying on sub-Saharan migrants trying to make their way to Europe. A nation with rival governments and a whole myriad of militias has been prey to lawlessness since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi. But this reportedly happened in the capital, Tripoli. After the outrage that’s seen demonstrations and the recalls of ambassadors, what next?

 
Produced by CHARLES WENTE, Selina SYKES and Van MEGUERDITCHIAN.

22 GIRLS TRAFFICKING IN LIBYA

16 mrt. 2016

 

23 Gambia: The business of human trafficking | Talk to Al Jazeera

24 jun. 2017

According to the United Nations, 26,000 unaccompanied minors crossed the Mediterranean to Europe last year, most of those coming from sub-Saharan Africa were Gambians.

In the past three years, almost 15,000 people lost their lives trying to reach European shores.

Undeterred, young men and women continue to take this route in what the UN’s describes as the biggest humanitarian catastrophe of our times.

The UN estimates the illegal trade of smuggling people to be worth more than $35bn, and it is booming.

Despite joint efforts by police forces from Europe and Africa, few smugglers have been arrested or prosecuted.

Mohammed Lamine Jammeh, also known as L-Boy, help many execute this journey. For many, he is a hero. Families save up for years and take loans in order to send one of their children on this journey.

But who profits from this? Do these young men and women know the risks they are taking? How much do they pay for this journey?

L-Boy, guides us through the business of human trafficking, and explain why travelling to Europe through Libya or the “backway” as it is known here is an open secret.

24 The Newsmakers: Libya’s Modern Slavery

19 apr. 2017

Shocking stories have emerged from war-torn Libya of people being sold as slaves in markets. They fled their homes, often escaping violence and poverty, in search of a better life in Europe, only to end up as commodities – bought, sold, and discarded. The International Organisation for Migration says it’s documented cases in the southern city of Sabha. The local council there denies the reports, but that contradicts the stories of those who’ve suffered. Meanwhile, the EU has pledged millions to dismantle Africa’s trafficking industry. But as they slow the numbers of migrants reaching European shores, are they potentially sending people back to slavery?
 
IMPORTANT CONTENT

25 Libya slave auctions: Reporting on the slavery trade (The Investigators with Diana Swain)

26 nov. 2017

Libya slave auctions: Reporting on the slavery trade. Nima Elbagir of CNN talks to Diana Swain about her reporting on a modern-day slave trade in Libya. Watch The Investigators Saturdays at 9:30 pm ETand Sundays at 5:30 pm ET on CBC News Network.
 
»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
 
For more than 75 years, CBC News has been the source Canadians turn to, to keep them informed about their communities, their country and their world. Through regional and national programming on multiple platforms, including CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBCNews.ca, mobile and on-demand, CBC News and its internationally recognized team of award-winning journalists deliver the breaking stories, the issues, the analyses and the personalities that matter to Canadians.

26 Nima Elbagir – Uncovering Libya’s Modern Slave Trade | The Daily Show

CNN international correspondent Nima Elbagir talks about documenting Libya’s human trafficking trade and explains why the country has mixed memories of Muammar al-Gaddafi.
 
IMPORTANT CONTENT
 
SHOCKING AND PAINFUL

27 Libya’s slave trade: ‘They sell Africans over there’

28 nov. 2017.

The world’s most vulnerable, fleeing war and poverty back home, are being abused and auctioned off as slaves – a shocking danger facing migrants and refugees in Libya.

It has been reported that hundreds of people are being auctioned in modern day slave markets in Libya for as little as $400.

Libya is the main transit hub for refugees and migrants attempting to reach southern Europe by sea. They are coming from countries like Nigeria, Eritrea, Guinea, Ivory Coast,, Gambia, Senegal, Sudan and Somalia.

The power vacuum in Libya after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi has made human trafficking and people smuggling a booming trade.

And the European Union’s renewed strategy to stop migrants and refugees travelling across the Mediterranean has led to more people being stuck in the north African country without money or food.

Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith reports.

28 Trapped in Libya, migrants face torture and slavery

11 dec. 2017

 
In the past few months, the number of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean has shrunk drastically on the back of new migrant policies in Libya and Italy alike. Instead, many of them find themselves stuck in a living nightmare in Libya, where they are imprisoned, tortured and sold off as slaves. We take a closer look at this humanitarian catastrophe which has caused global outrage. Compared to just a few months ago, the number of overcrowded migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean seems to have become less and less frequent. In Italy alone, the number of Europe-destined migrants landing on its shores has dropped by as much as 70 percent. 
The sudden halt in crossings can largely be attributed to Italy’s new migrant policies, engineered by the country’s Interior Minister Marco Minitti. Although these policies heavily rely on the official cooperation of the Libyan navy, they also include a number of secret, and more troubling, deals struck with local militia groups which have been put in charge of stemming the migrant flow in exchange for arms and millions of dollars. 
 
A number of NGOs are more than worried about these “secret deals” and the impact they have on the migrants who find themselves stuck in Libya, where – with neither the possibility to cross the Mediterranean nor return home – they are imprisoned, tortured and sold off as slaves. Our reporters, Natalia Mendoza and Taha Zargoun, went to investigate in the Libyan coastal city of Sabratah, which finds itself at the heart of this international scandal.

29 Migrants being sold as ‘slaves’ in Libya, IOM reports

12 apr. 2017

 
In tonight’s edition, the International Organisation for Migration says migrants in Libya are being sold off as slaves, and the UN warns that aid funds are falling short in combatting a deepening food crisis in East Africa. Finally, the prosecution requests life in prison for five of the defendants in the ‘Novotel captives’ trial in Ivory Coast. 
UN investigators in Libya speak to African migrants who say they are targeted by slave-traders. Victims are said to suffer extortion, abuse and some are even murdered. 
And the UN warns that a massive funding shortfall is slowing down the critical response needed to combat the deepening hunger crises in Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan. 
And in Ivory Coast, the prosecution delivers its closing statement in the case of the 2011 post-election killings at Abidjan’s Novotel.

30 Rescued African migrants say they are fleeing slavery

28 jun. 2017

Italy has threatened to stop foreign boats carrying migrants rescued in the central Mediterranean Sea from docking in its ports unless other EU countries do more to help.
 
It comes amid a surge in arrivals in recent days, as we reported last night from aboard a German rescue vessel. Tonight we hear from the migrants and refugees themselves.
 
A warning: this report contains images and testimony that you may find distressing.

31 Nigerians Return From Libyan “Slave Camps,” Tell Horror Stories

Another set of Nigerians numbering 164 (158 males and 6 females) returned to the country from Libya in the early hours of Friday, December 8th, 2017. The returnees, who left the country through irregular travel routes and mostly through human trafficking voluntarily returned to the country and were received by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS) and International Organization for Migration (IOM).

32 Workers compensation under fire: shoddy and “unethical practices” exposed | Four Corners

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27 jul. 2020

Workers compensation is supposed to be a safety net designed to return injured employees to the workplace and provide assistance to those so badly hurt that they can no longer hold down a job. And yet some injured workers say the system has ruined their lives.
Australian workers are guaranteed these protections by law, but there is disturbing evidence the system is failing badly.
In a joint Four Corners, The Age, and The Sydney Morning Herald investigation, we examine the financial scandal and human cost of Australia’s biggest workers compensation schemes.
 
 
 

33 Maid in Hell ⎜ WHY SLAVERY? ⎜(Documentary)


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In première gegaan op 2 dec. 2020

Can an employment system hide a reality of torture and humiliation?

Maid in Hell introduces us to 35 year old Mary Kibwana, who is just one of the thousands of migrant women working as a domestic helper in Jordan. Following an incident at her employer’s residence, Mary is flown back to her home in Kenya – where she arrives wheelchair-bound, with burns covering 70 percent of her body. Two months later, Mary dies as a result of her injuries. This story offers a glimpse into the commonplace reality of harassment, abuse, rape and 18-hour work days which migrant domestic workers across the Middle East face. Trapped by the Kafala system, their passports are confiscated and they are bound to their employer. Unable to flee, they risk harsh punishments or imprisonments if they try. “Maid in Hell” gives unprecedented access to this frightening and brutal form of modern slavery. Following employment agents who vividly describe the trade, as well as maids who struggle to find a way home after harrowing, and sometimes, deadly experiences, we come to understand the grotesque reality faced by thousands of women each day.

Filmmaker: Søren Klovborg
Produced by: The Why Foundation

This film is one-part of the six-part WHY SLAVERY? Series. To find out more about the other films in our series head to thewhy.dk

Maid in Hell ⎜ WHY SLAVERY? ⎜(Documentary) – Blog

34 – 1960: “Harvest of Shame”

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25 nov. 2010

 
Watch the entire original broadcast of one of the most celebrated documentaries of all time, 1960’s “Harvest of Shame,” in which Edward R. Murrow exposed the plight of America’s farm workers.

35 Kids Skip Rope With Electric Cables Prank!

30 mei 2016

Skipping rope with electric cables… Looks like these kids like a challenge !
 
Welcome to the world-famous Just for Laughs Gags channel, where we pull public pranks on unsuspecting Montreal residents and tourists.

Modern Slavery

Current page

Sir Mo Farah

Slavery

Slave trade

Cobalt-mining

King Leopold II