Freedom means you are unobstructed in living your life as you choose. Anything less is a form of slavery.
–Wayne Dyer
A milestone was achieved when the thirteenth amendment was passed in 1865, according to which slavery was abolished under the Lincoln administration. The concept of equality for all humans despite their race was reinforced and the oppression of the African Americans came to an end. It’s generally assumed, because the world has evolved to such an extent that comments on a person’s race are globally looked down upon and are punishable in some states, the concept of slavery is one of the past and that no one could be able to achieve that level of suppression in the status quo. Little does the world know, slavery still continues to exist in one form or another.
Today, 21 million people are enslaved globally who earn over $35billion profits for illegal traffickers annually –22 percent of which are forced into sexual slavery, 26 percent of which being children and the remaining 52 percent are those individuals who are forced into menial labour jobs in fields like mining, fishing and logging etc. The economic vulnerability created due to an increase in population and the subsequent rise in unemployment rates is a major reason why some are forced into the position and what’s more alarming is the fact that slaves today are more disposable. Inattentive governments who let such hidden crimes go unpunished don’t help either.
The world turning a blind eye towards these injustices contributes greatly to an increase in modern slavery along with the miss allocation and ineptitude of the welfare system which falls short of its purpose of creation, to rehabilitate the economically challenged. The only thing different in the upcoming regressive society is the fact that multiple races are victims of slavery instead of just one.