Ladies and gentlemen, as we conclude this semester, I want to make you all aware of a painful global reality. Although so many are convinced that slavery has been abolished and ends in the world during the middle to late 19th century, the fact is that slavery and slave trade is not dead, and in fact, in some parts of the world it's actually on the rise. In fact, in the month of October, the news of West African slave trade re-surged because of a key court case in Niger that led to the emancipation of a slave woman. The BBC has done an excellent job of covering the realities of slave trade in Africa. Please click here to read a thorough article of the widespread nature of West African slavery from the month of October.If you are just hearing about this for the first time, then you need to take the time to research the global realities of slave trade. The BBC has an EXCELLENT special report called "Modern Slavery" that gives the real story behind global slavery. Please click here to see this shocking report. Additionally, there is an excellent interactive map (that you can pull up by clicking here) that proves the global nature of 21st century slavery and shows the forms of slavery being conducted in individual world regions. Again, this report is shocking and I hope that it will open your eyes to the real world and compel you to be a force for change. The key to solving global issues is realizing the problems that exist.
69 comments:
Wow! is all i can say. this is very horrendous and heartfelt. this must be very hard to endour. This is very disturbing information. I didn't realize that this still happened in the world. Shows how much i really know and i'm grateful to be living here in the US.
This all shocks me and doesn't surprise me at the same time. Humans are naturally greedy it seems like, but to the point where the world has already seen slavery happen once with the triangular trade and all that and to still be doing it today is beyond me. And then for the government to look over slavery so easily is also disgusting. All they needed was the master's word that his slave was his wife in order for him to keep her. That is horrible. And in the other case of Arek Anyiel Deng, she was just taken from her home. She was only ten and her muslim master gave her a new name. He was trying to change her identity in all. And now that she is free, she says it's still like she's at the camp. Her dad's dead and she has basically nothing. So if the government doesn't care, and the people around the slaves don't care, who is going to stop this sickening cycle?
wow. i never really thought about slavery still existing. i just thought of Africa as a poor place. Even though slavery has been abolished for years now, i don't think all of Africa would ever be fully anti-slavery. i feel bad for all those women who had to go through so much. but what im wondering is that, if there is still so much slavery going on, then why doesn't anyone stop it?
That is so sad. I had no idea this kind of stuff was still going on. It's terrible to think that that woman was enslaved at 12 years old and then beaten many times everyday. But how did her master get away with having slaves for 2 years if it was illegal? In the article it says that the anti-slavery law was passed in 2003 but she was given her certificate to be a free person in 2005. It said he lied about having 7 of them, but wouldn't the police need proof?
Wow. Let me say first that I have never felt more ignorant in my entire life. Are we really that close-minded? Do we really think that because slavery isn't HERE then it's gone? And it's all because they can't get jobs or support themselves. All because there is no money. Money again. Money makes prostitutes, money makes slaves, money makes pirates. I don't get it. What causes these places to become so poor? Why can't they progress? Is it BECAUSE of this endless cycle of slavery? And most of them are kids! Kids don't understand! Shouldn't we be doing something about this? This makes me sick.
P.S. Where's the map?
I was so excited when I saw this post MR. Prill because I am so passionate about Modern Day Slavery. I consider my self an abolishonist :). Well anyway the reason I am so happy you posted this is because so many people don't know about it.
So I read a few of those BBC interviews with former slaves...Yea I have probably read a gajillion of those stories in Cambodia, Thailand, UGANDA, Eastern Europe just like on the BBC site through all the books I read about Modern Day slavery. But lets not forget that it happens HERE in the US too. I say that not only because I know that there are estimated to be over 200,000 slaves in this country ,but I say this because even though You tell us in class that it happens in Africa and Saudi ARabia WE STILL TAKE IT FOR GRANTED THAT WE (the U.S.) ARE NOT INVOLVED IN MODERN DAY SLAVERY....phsss are you kidding me it's documented AKA the 13th amendment. When in fact ATLANTA is numbeeeeeer 1 in the US for sex trafficking. It's absolutely SICKENING!!!!
Yea MAybe back then one of the reasons slavery was "abolished" was because there was little or no profit. uhhh nowadays there is a HUGE HUMONGO PROFIT!! These pimps make a ton of money (like $5,000+ A NIGHT depending on the number of girls he/she has) and they pretty much get these girls/ and boys for free by luring them or kidnapping them...they don't even have to trade guns like the Portugese did. Or go through the treacherous MIDDLE PASSAGE... IT's SICKENING !
Yea...well that's what I have to say. :)
Wow thats terrible. How can people treat human beings that way? I don't know what to say. That poor person. sold into slavery at twelve years old. Not being able to do anything she wanted. Not even being able to get an education. That really makes me appreciate all that i have while people like that have nothing. Some like 8 percent of the population of Niger. Just wow.
Honestly, I did not know that slavery was still such a problem. It is so sad that people still have to go through this pain and be abused, i don't really even know what to say exactly..
According to the documents, these slaves were working for their masters for decades. Is this a widespread thing, or just these few cases? I think 19 thousand dollars is a heck of a lot of money, but that is a disgusting payment in compensation for slavery. There is no payment adequate for an ex-slave.
I am shocked that slavery still exists today. I thought that it was completely abolished everywhere. I guess that since I am not exposed to it, I didn't even think that it would or could exist. I think it is really sad!
Slavery it seems to be mostly sexual based and it seems the forms labor slavery are prevelant in poverse nations like Mali and Niger. Slavery has taken on a whole new meaning to me to know that it was more than just sexual slavery.
wow....
Just reading about what the slaves have gone through is just unimaginable. It's really ridiculous that in one of the reports "Bigamy" , the lady was sent to jail because her master claimed to be her husband just so that she won't be freed.... She was suppose to be freed but her master didn't tell her anything. people never seem to learn their lessons. and yet even though slavery has supposedly "abolished" people don't seem to mind it at all. it's like they would go as far as they can just to keep someone as their slave.
Also in the Haiti's hidden 'child slaves' ... most haitians only get 50 cents everyday. it's amazing that some of them actually survive. most people don't even know that the kids exist because they don't have birth certificates or anything. this is really sad.
its so unbelievable! these people BUY human beings just to violate them! slavery's not just in one area either. its everywhere! those "masters" have to be so immoral, they know its wrong to do those things and they get children and women to do hard work and other things too. i never knew what a problem CHILD prostitution was! these children would be in elementary school and their families are unknowingly selling them into prostitution. even if they were saved, one article showed that after the government freed them they are still poor and live in hard conditions. i dont see a good way for the world to get out of this hole... slavery's just so... inhumane. its not supposed to happen, people have to be really messed up to participate in this. its hard for me to see slavery in the other side's view just because its so evil! you cant own someone, no one is up for sale.
i'll stop blabbering now, but this is just eye-opening. ive never thought such things went on in such large numbers. anyway... on to other posts!!
is there anything like this in the us, im assuming no but if its still going on in places where its illegal maybe its here too..??
okay, i kow im getting annoyying now, but i forgot about profit!!! the people paying the slave owners are just as bad as the owners themselves. thts like thanking people for forcing people to do things against their will. the moneys keeping this slavery thing in tact! ugh.. its so sickening.
miss jennings the answer is YES, YES, YES!!! thank you miss beck for your post, i support you 100% in your passion, and folks, what she is saying is absolutely correct. and yes, our very city of atlanta is #1 in the nation in sex trafficking. i actually had intended, miss beck, to drop this horrible reality on you guys tomorrow and end the semester on that note going into the break to make that be the last thing you're left to think about. that's ok though, let's just put this on the table right now, i'll definitely be bringing it up again tomorrow. i appreciate your comment on being grateful to be living here mr. swanda, but so many are not because so many are in this system right here in the state of georgia. the big question for us is simple: now that you know about this, what do you intend to do about it? simple acknowledgement that "this is sad" changes nothing. action is necessary now. what are you going to do upon graduation to end this vicious cycle? i sincerely hope that my grandchildren read about the great abolitionist ashley beck that attacked globalized slavery of the 21st century and put a damaging dent in it.
I knew slavery was still a problem, in africa, but i had no idea that it is still a problem in the more developed parts of the world. When i saw that it is still happening in the U.S i was schocked, i thought it was totally gone here.
Even if i knew about this, I cant believe its still happening! i felt that humans were better than this, but we're just jerks! i cant believe that this can still be happening.we as americans are so unaware of our surroundings! how could we not know that slavery still exists! i knew about human trafficking, but slavery?!
Ashley, I'm with you! i agree that this is getting worse and it shows how much is happening right next to us and we have NO clue?!
i remember from ashleys speech that she did in language arts that Atlanta was numbr 1! that's horrible.....
we probably are going to say this and maybe even forget about it... later in my life i want to go around and support the people who have experienced the unbelievable horror! maybe this isn't happening to someone we know or maybe it is, we never know! we cant just sit around! As we live in our happy world, we never realize tht so many people around the world are not free. so shouldn't work to make them free? we really need to build an awareness to this! i've also seen many people be forced to live with someone or be sold, in india! personally, id feel happy in others happiness...
iv never really expressed myself about it, but here it is! sorry, i get really emotional about these human right things.
Ashley, you should show the video that u made to mr.prill.
wow, that story of the slave woman from BBC really saddens me. What a terrible thing those cruel men do to them. And how they try to keep the information of news of slave being abolished away from them, thats so cruel! and to think it all is happening during this present time! there is so much going on around us, that i wasnt aware of at first. i am so blessed to be in a well brought up home and family.
I knew slavery still existed in Africa but I had no idea it existed on this large a scale. I think this just shows how weak the government really is in Africa. For example, Nigeria has made slavery illegal since 2003 but hardly even a fraction of the slaves have been freed and even if they are freed they have no skills, education, and even some wierd legal things to deal with, like the bigamy case. Unless a better, more organized government emerges that really cares about abolishing slavery for real and not just on paper, I'm sad to say I think slavery will remain in Africa.
Here is another article about slavery that i found...
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/slavery1.html
sorry if it doesn't work! tell me if it doesn't....its not the greatest article but u get a view of how it happens..
the thing i dont get is how people can just buy others to do work for them. i mean yeah work has to be done somehow, and it would be done faster with more people. but the personal feeling from knowing people were being bought for reasons like labor? that just breaks my heart.
i am like a big peace person, so this is something i dont believe in at all. slavery is just something that never should of happened. and to know its still happeneing today!? its just scary.
The articles on BBC are so sad. I read a few of them and I can't believe all this is going on. You would think that humans would learn from their mistakes in the past but they absolutely haven't. The stories they have on that site are a horrible realization as to what the world has come to.
Prill...I love that title.hehehe
Oh I want you to watch this video I made..... I'll bring it tomorrow. :)
Wow this really made me open my eyes to how lucky i am as an individual to be able to make my own decisions. The girl in the one article that thought she was going to go work somewhere but got sold as a prostitute really touched me the most. She couldn't make any of her own choices and she lived in a cage just like dogs do! So i am VERY lucky to be living the way i do today!
om my gosh. This idea just really shows how ignorant Americans can be to the worlds current state. I know this probably shouldnt surprise me but I never realized to the extent that this still existed. the question to ask now is how long will it take mankind to realize that its destructing itself when it continues things like this?
Yes, slavery is a sad and deppresing, and/or angering subject, but i mean, you really cant be serious that everyone of you did not know about slavery(and that it still exists today) until just today. Instead of saying your sad you should do something about it. I know i will. Mr. Prill knows.
I can't believe that this is still happening! I mean they r human beings, with beating hearts. Idk how people could be so heartless and unemotional. Oh and my sis says hi by the way lol.
this is so disgusting. how people ca be so immoral, so sick as to us kids as SEX SLAVES is beyond me. equally disgusting as the fact that this is going on is the fact that they're GETTING AWAY WITH IT. Don't ypu wonder how much of this we never see, never hear about? how many of these twisted people are never caught? how long these children have to endure this destructive treatment before they are finally saved, if at all? this is so wrong. i just don't get how humans can be so...inhuman. yes humans are greedy, immoral, and cruel, but this is a new low.
I knew that some of this occurred but i was shocked to see how much. Slavery for adults is bad enough but throwing children in the mix is just ridiculous. The human race is extremely greedy no matter what we think. to put others under us is not normal at all especially if they havent done anything. Kidnapping and selling humans is a nasty business. Its not right and normal at all. people are people and we are very much alike so I don't see how we can treat each other worse that dogs.
I was shocked when i heard it today that slavery was still practiced. The first story of the woman in Niger was so sad. I don't understand how a practice like that can still be going on. and seeing as how her master still managed to keep her as a slave even though it got abolished just proves how ineffective the law and law enforcers probably are.
i knew there is slavery still occurring...but i was thinking plantation slavery-which there is still-, but not as the things we speak of every day like pimps, etc. i never thought if that as slavery...I thought they chose to live that way, but I guess it makes sense that they don't. They do it for money and protection.
WOW! This is really bad! =[
I had no idea that it was anything like this. And its in Georgia!?!?
We should start a thingy to help it stop! Like all of A.P. World people who want to join! =D
Could we do that?
So the people who are taken from Georgia, do people in Georgia buy the slaves? Because that's really freaky that we are surrounded by those type of people.
Sapp
I feel like im selfish person when i look at this article right now. Needless to say the whole world needs to help those poor people who have no right
It actually doesn't really surprise me much that slavery still goes on today. It's certainly not a positive thing in my opinion, I'll give you that, but people need to put the pieces of the puzzle together. If the major reason for Europeans stopping slavery is because they weren't profiting from it anymore, and even though the US stopped before this happened, it was sure coming. Who said that people in Africa and other parts of the world aren't still profiting to this day? That's the reason behind people forcing prostitution on others so that THEY PROFIT. If they didn't profit from this, there wouldn't be a reason to do it. Humans, as a whole, haven't learned at all. Most are closed minded and think that the only kind of slavery was the slavery that went on back then. Nowadays, you can still see a ton of different forms of ownership over other human beings. The major reason why slavery was abolished was because they weren't profiting anyways. Not because they're learning from their mistakes. Most definitely weren't.
Sicking...
Everywhere from America, to Africa, to China slavery still goes on today. I already posted this post but i didn't do it right or something messed up, so
I am going to put this in bullet points
1)In West Africa, most countries have outlawed slavery, but a vast majority of them don't enforce it.
2)Also when woman slaves in Africa try and gain freedom, their owners try and find loop holes to keep them under him control, such as forced marriage.
3)Even in the United States and the U.K. women are led on to believe that they are coming there to get jobs as cleaners or ice cream sellers, only to be sold as sex slaves at airport coffee shops, very similar to African Slaves being sold fresh off the boat.
That is about all i can remember, but this is sick. I wish i had more power to do something about this, but being a 16-year-old kid who is grounded by his parents, I am not in a situation to help fight this. Hopefully we as a society can do something about this, but many people are not aware of the rampancy of slavery. I mean in our own county slavery happens.
the point i was trying to make earlier today is that you, mr. dixon, and the rest, well not be 16-year-olds grounded at home for long. what about 3 to 5 years from now? then what?
i knew slavery still existed,but i never knew it was tot his extent. i mean do these people not learn the first time. hello...triangular trade. this is horrendous and it is unbelievable to me that people would take little girls (12 years old) and sell them into sex trafficing. she is 12 i mean come on. how evil can you get? well i guess slavery answered my question. what gives these people the right to own and sell HUMAN BEINGS. there is not that authority.
Wow. I am very suprised. Before the lecture today I never really realized that there was still slavery going on in the world. I figured it was just a thing that happened in history and that the human race had gotten past that. Now I realize that slavery is still a very prominent issue today.
prill did you get my video....?
i did, and i meant to bring it home with me but left it on my desk. i'll look forward to watching it monday.
unfortunately this is probably one of the worst issues that still exists today where humans havent seemed to learn from their mistakes. it all comes down to pure human selfishness. its so disgusting. you know, it seems like many problems with our society today are caused by pure selfishness. you mentioned that we must take action once we leave nghs to change this, and i completely agree, but i think one thing we can do NOW is work on being unselfish. so many issues in our own community could be solved if each person worked hard to be kind and selfless. i hope that that will be on the top of everyone's "new year's resolutions" list, i know its now on mine. thanks for the insight mr prill.
The thing is, Mr. Prill, I am not that patience. I'm not saying we go bust down doors in Atlanta's "massage parlors" and liberate people, but one thing we being kids or young adults, we can make it common knowledge to people. For instance, bring it up to your parents when you are at dinner discussing current events in the news. A small thing like that can change so much.
These articles are very disturbing in that not only does slavery still exist, but the number of accounts is going up. The first-hand accounts of slavery were very heart wrenching and also disturbing. One of the ladies from Cambodia was tricked into a life of prostitution. She thought she was going to get a nice job, but wound up in a position to become a sex slave. The story of the little girl in Haiti was also very troubling. In such a poverty stricken area, the girl was already a slave at age SIX. She was forced to walk about two and a half miles daily to fetch water and also to do the housechores. It is just a shame to see a comeback in such a dirty act as slavery.
i completely agree. in fact, i see that as my role as an educator. my role in society is to render this new-found knowledge to my students and motivate you all to actually do something with it.
if we tell like 5 people that we know maybe they might tell other people and soon maybe everyone might know. mr.prill, this blogpost that u put up just let so many people know! thats awesome! thanks for putting this one up!
sorry if this is way off topic, but..i have a question for the final:
are we going to have an short essay on the final or just multiple choice? can yuo please put up blog so we can start asking questions and studying?
Thanks
i'll be honest, i usually dont read all the way through every document, but this one really got me. its really shocking, and i really dont get WHY people need slaves, and the majority of it is sex slaves. the story that rally got me was the prostitute from cambodia. she seemed really scarred and she'll never be able to forget that. she had her whole life ahead of her and now she has to live with all the memories of being trafficked into some crazy brothel. its horrible. and the article about the brothels in the Philippines shocked me too. why couldnt the reporter do something instead of just walking through and looking at innocent girls have their lives unraveled before their eyes. i just didnt get it...its awful.
This is disgusting.
I knew that sex slaves existed, but i had absolutely no idea about the existence of slavery based on labor. I thought those were long gone. SO many people are mentioning how lucky they are to live in US and don't have to go through this and all, but i think this is a matter of changing the situation rather than appreciating that we are not involved. People are still born in to castes. A twelve year old is forced to sleep with her master. Separation from their family. and probably so many things that i can't even imagine. Come on, 8% of population? 18%?? how can almost 1/5th of country's population be slaves???
WE are receiving an education that none of these slaves have received and we(including me) are being so ignorant. The reason that we are learning is to do something that will change the world at least a little bit. And most of us are sitting in our home reading this article and saying how lucky we are.
Mr. Prill, after reading this article, my "ultimate life goal" has changed. I would really love to help these people who are in these situations. I don't know if all of that will be possible, but I will certainly try. Mr. Prill, I hope, that in my lifetime, this situation will exterminate.
well stated miss chung! i too sigh and shake my head everytime someone acknowledges how "lucky" they are not to be in such a position. that's totally missing the point, this is a call to action folks!!! feeling better about your own life never changed someone elses.
i'm shocked because i thought that the only type of slavery in our time was prostitution. but now i realize that almost the same type of slavery we talk about in class is going on today. the thing that i was most disgusted about was the fact that the masters were so greedy and selfish by not telling his slaves that niger had banned slavery.
wow people need to grow up and find new ways to make money like that little girl that was a sex slave and she could only come out and see her "clients" b.s
umm...people need to grow up and get EDUCATED and then use such education to eliminate such a disgusting system.
When slavery was starting to be abolished in the 19th century, I understood that it would not die off completely. Maybe you would here a story on the news of maybe hundreds of recent slaves. What i did not know as that this is happening on a global scale. What caught me off guard was it happens even in the US. Shouldn't our government do something about it. and also how does anyone get away with such a thing.
wow, this really opened my eyes that this stuff is gong on right in our backyard. and just when you think you live in a privledged community. this is really sad and something should be done to stop this.
i was aware that this was happening all around us, but i didnt know it was this bad. i think people need to become much more aware of this, and they need to join forces to help stop this. they need to go to the government and tell them. although im pretty sure the government knows this is happening why dont they do more to help stop or prevent it??
i think that if people get together and really make an effort to stop this and they ask for help from the government or get in their faces and demand help they will get it.
i was absolutely speachless after i read this. i was one of those people that had absolutely NO idea that slavery still went on. i mean i knew there was like sexual slaves and whatnot, but i didnt know it was this bad. and seeing form the docs, over DECADES?! wow
The slavery going on is beyond horrible, but if all the slaves were released, like the article said they wouldn't have anywhere to go and just add to the unemployed population. I think that when they are released the master should have to pay for their food and lodging until they found a job.
This is so inhumane. All people were created equal, and yet, you have people working for others in harsh conditions and FORCED to work.
The case of Hadijatou Mani is really upsetting. She was sold into slavery by her own family and she had no idea slavery had been abolished. When her master received the news about slavery being abolished, he just moved all his slaves into another location. Not only that, but everytime Mani ran away, her master told the court that she was his wife. How Cruel. How horrific. How disgusting slavery is.
i had no idea that slavery was still a problem to this day until i walked out of your class this week..it really was shocking and sickening to hear this..
goshhh, seriously no comment.
but, why wouldnt the governmnet do anything if they know? and why wouldnt they make it illigal if they know that its bad?
It was really surprising to find out that slavery is still going on today. I find it disturbing and wish i could do something about it other than spread the word. When people hear about slavery, most just say "thank god its over", but now i realize what is really going on. The governments should start doing something. If not them, someone else should.
these articles definitely opened my eyes to what we, as humans, truly are. although we realize slavery is wrong, it's going on right under our noses. I mean, sex trafficking is horrendous, i think all of us can agree on that. i don't think i would go as far as to be the head of the a march against it, but i would definitely be willing to help in anyway possible. the whole thing is sick, but eye-opening. so many people in this world do not know what is going on. enough said.
What the... What is this world up to? & I thought that slavery was abolished throughout the world a while ago? But, I guess not! I dont understand why people love to use other people of different ethinicities as their tools. >_<"
I never thought that slavery was still going on till this day, this is depressing. :(
wow! its shoking how little we know about our world. its impresses me that people would treat other people like that. i really feel bad for that women that was beaten several times a day.
oh my goodness!! the stories that people have told of their lives, it is so heartbreaking. i cant imagine being beaten and used as a sex object. it just goes to show you how horrendous people can be. but in most of these stories it how joyful to hear that these slaves gained their freedom. in class we talked about how the US does have slavery, but i dont think it could even compare to what these people went through. i feel truly blessed to be in this country
yeah, but is enough being done here to really eradicate slavery here? the number of those who have gained their freedom are very small in comparison to those that are currently enslaved (that includes here in atlanta, to the country as a whole, to the world as a whole). that's the critical point. what are we doing IN THIS COUNTRY to turn that around? or do we continue to turn a blind eye and say that's too bad?
it still seems to me like we are just giving them our sympathy and saying thats to bad rather than really doing something about it.. alothough these women are getting away from their masters and what not, but i still get that sympathy vibe that people are passing laws just because they "feel bad"
I'm surprised that I didn't know this and I don't think simple words can describe how horrible this stuff is. We still are doing it, and even if we don't include ourselves, we are just sitting around and not doing anything. Just words won't help like Mr.Prill said, but we need to actually do something. I'm grateful and all but you know, even if we aren't the slave traders. They are human and we are too, we all have traces of our ancestors doing it, so... we should all feel responsible.
This is pathetic for us. Sex trafficing going on in the US and we didn't even know about it! Slavery still occuring in Africa and other major parts of the World!Humans have hit a new low.
Money and Greed makes people crazy.
-David Recchia
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