Slavery is the term used to describe control and ownership of humans by other humans. A 'slave' is forced to obey his or her owner at all times and may get punished severely if they don't.
They may be captured and sold or born into slavery and stripped from equal opportunities and human rights as a result. In history class, we learn that slaves were people who were captured in battles and sent back to work for the conquerors in the ancient days. Slaves were usually black and seen as inferior.
However, slavery was abolished in Britain in 1814, by the United States in 1863 and lastly in Mauritania in 1981. Nonetheless, it is a sad fact that slavery continues to exist in today's society in a different form. Human trafficking is a problem where victims are often recruited through deceit or trickery into inhumane roles. Women may be forced into prostitution (sex trafficking) to pay off family debt, people may be misled into signing false contracts in hopes of better employment away from home, and the parents of children from poorer backgrounds may be tricked into sending them away for a better education only to be whisked away to work in a factory.
Stories around the world related to slavery include the 2007 release of 570 Chinese workers who had been enslaved by brick manufacturers in Shanxi, the rescue operation of 5,000 slaves by authorities in Brazil in 2008 and the 2007 BBC article about child slaves in Saudi Arabia. The article revealed how these children faced beatings and sometimes even mutilation "as their Dickensian masters stoop to any low to try to improve the chances of them earning more money". Research shows that the number of slaves today range from 12 to 27 million.
They may be captured and sold or born into slavery and stripped from equal opportunities and human rights as a result. In history class, we learn that slaves were people who were captured in battles and sent back to work for the conquerors in the ancient days. Slaves were usually black and seen as inferior.
However, slavery was abolished in Britain in 1814, by the United States in 1863 and lastly in Mauritania in 1981. Nonetheless, it is a sad fact that slavery continues to exist in today's society in a different form. Human trafficking is a problem where victims are often recruited through deceit or trickery into inhumane roles. Women may be forced into prostitution (sex trafficking) to pay off family debt, people may be misled into signing false contracts in hopes of better employment away from home, and the parents of children from poorer backgrounds may be tricked into sending them away for a better education only to be whisked away to work in a factory.
Stories around the world related to slavery include the 2007 release of 570 Chinese workers who had been enslaved by brick manufacturers in Shanxi, the rescue operation of 5,000 slaves by authorities in Brazil in 2008 and the 2007 BBC article about child slaves in Saudi Arabia. The article revealed how these children faced beatings and sometimes even mutilation "as their Dickensian masters stoop to any low to try to improve the chances of them earning more money". Research shows that the number of slaves today range from 12 to 27 million.
