Join the Fight for Freedom
2007 is the special year when Britain is commemorating 200 years from the abolition of the salve trade. Despite the 200 years that have passed since William Wilberforce managed to pass the anti-slave trade law through the British parliament, slavery is still a big part of the social and economical life of people worldwide. The UK is not an exception. A recent study on Modern Slavery in the UK uncovered that:
“Modern slavery exists in the UK in various forms. All exhibit the common elements of the exploitative relationship which have always constituted slavery: severe economic exploitation; the absence of a framework of human rights; and control of one person over another by the prospect or reality of violence. Coercion distinguishes slavery from poor working conditions.”
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“Some UK-based companies, knowingly or not, rely on people working in slavery to produce goods which they sell: complex sub-contracting and supply chains, managed by agents elsewhere, often obscure this involvement.”
It is difficult to estimate right now how many people are trafficked into the UK. The Home Office and other official agencies estimate that:
- more than 1,000 women (mainly from Eastern and Central Europe) were trafficked into the UK for sexual purposes
- there are at least 5,000 child sex workers in the UK – most of them having been trafficked into the country
- thousands of people (whether they entered the country legally or illegally) are trafficked for domestic labor in the UK
- all of these numbers are probably underestimates.
In response, the UK government is seeking to fight human trafficking through strategies of strict migration control instead of a human rights approach. Unfortunately, the British people are mostly unaware of the realities of contemporary slavery.
To change the situation, Anti-Slavery International is inviting people worldwide to join the Fight for Freedom Campaign. I would like to urge the readers of this blog to join and sign the Fight for Freedom Declaration, and join the over 25,000 people who have already done so.
The other day I was listening to a speech delivered by Archbishop Desmond Tutu (awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984). He said “if an elephant steps on the tale of the mouse and you stay neutral – the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality”. We must surely stop the neutrality to any types of contemporary forms of slavery.
