Turning a Blind Eye to Modern-day Slavery

World Vision Don't Trade Lives

Every year, hundreds of thousands of women, men and children are deceived or coerced into situations of exploitation. Modern-day slavery, also known as trafficking, is found in just about every country.

It is present in the Australian sex industry in the form of foreign women held in debt bondage; in the Russian construction sector, where thousands of workers from former Soviet states are abused; on fishing boats throughout Asia and the Pacific, where Burmese and Cambodian men are not paid the wages they were led to expect; in the brothels of Bali and the private homes of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, to which Indonesian girls have gone with promises of a better life; in South Africa and India, where private hospitals harvest the organs of deceived desperates for commercial transplant operations; on the cocoa farms of Ivory Coast, made profitable through the almost-zero cost labour of child workers from Mali; and even in the houses and apartments of wealthy Americans, where Guatemalan maids sleep on the floor and are not paid or allowed outside.

The scale of this trade in human misery is difficult to calculate. Latest estimates from the United Nations suggest at least 21 million people are trapped in forced and exploitative labour, and that this shadow economy is accruing profits of more than $30 billion a year. More than half of this is generated in wealthy industrialised countries such as Australia.

It is easy to be horrified about slavery while absolving ourselves of direct responsibility. But that is both wrong and dangerous. Human exploitation has built our world and continues to drive global economic growth. Cheap labour, cheap sex and cheap goods are woven into the fabric of our individual lives.

Many countries derive great benefit from low-cost foreign workers who, deliberately unprotected by law, can be criminalised or shoved aside when circumstances require. Some countries that maintain a strong policy position against prostitution are nevertheless comfortable with a marginalised and closeted sex industry comprised principally of exploited foreigners.



Decrease your "Slavery Footprint"
http://www.ethical.org.au/

On a more personal level, few of us stop to think why the goods and services we consume with such abandon are so incredibly cheap. The presence of forced labour in the supply chains of major manufacturers has been repeatedly documented. It is sobering to wonder just how big our individual "slavery footprint'' might be.

There are now strong international laws in place that require every country to protect victims, prosecute offenders and work to prevent future exploitation. While progress is slow, many countries are now making a genuine effort. Australia has begun to take on an important leadership role. The Australian government funds the world's largest and most ambitious criminal justice initiative against trafficking. That project, which has been running in south-east Asia for the past nine years, has been widely acclaimed for its impact on laws, policies and practices within and outside the region.

Australia is also beginning to pay attention at home, with new laws on slavery and trafficking and much greater efforts to identify exploited foreign workers in agriculture, hospitality and construction, as well as in the sex industry.

One lesson we have learnt at considerable cost is that a complex problem such as modern slavery does not respond well to quick fixes. For example, it is both foolish and patronising to treat the people caught up in this trade as naive and helpless victims. Unfortunately, for many of the world's workers, exploitation is a reality that must be factored into the path towards a better life.

Most don't want to be sent home penniless and disgraced. They just want a decent job. This crucial fact needs to be kept in mind when working out how to extract trafficked persons from exploitation and support their recovery.

Strident calls for foreign governments to crack down on traffickers can be equally misguided. As Australia has learnt through its work in south-east Asia, pressuring underdeveloped criminal justice systems to improve their prosecution rates can contribute to unfair trials and other serious miscarriages of justice.

It is much more useful to help build national capacity to investigate and prosecute trafficking; strengthen labour laws; address corruption; and ensure justice for victims. It's time to take slavery seriously. The exploitation of human beings for profit is everyone's business. We might not be able to end it, but now we know what's going on, feeling bad is just not good enough.

[Dr Anne Gallagher. AO]

Afghanistan Premier League Football

Afghanistan's first premier football league will begin nationwide in August, the country's football officials said Monday. Hailed by the officials as a new chapter for Afghanistan, the competition is expected to increase football fans throughout the war-torn country and help towards stronger bonds of unity.

"Afghan football is entering a new chapter, and will increase the quality of football players in the country," head of Afghanistan's Football Federation Keramuddin Karim told at a press conference in Kabul. "I am sure it will help in strengthening the national unity between the Afghan youth," he added.

The competition, named "Green Ground", will see football clubs across the country travel and compete against each other. "Football is a game which unites people from different nations, we want to unite Afghanistan through this league," head of Tolo TV Massoud Sanjar said. The competition will also help screen out the best players to make a stronger national team, they said.

Afghanistan: Key Messages

1. Afghans are facing an uncertain future, despite improvements in education, health care and political participation over the past decade. The departure of foreign troops will reduce economic activity, state revenues and foreign aid, putting the development gains of the last decade at risk and exacerbating humanitarian needs in one of the poorest countries in the world. I welcome the commitment to support civilians made by the international community at the Tokyo conference on 8 July, and call on all concerned to translate words into deeds to ensure that the basic needs of Afghans are met.

2. Afghanistan is in its fourth decade of conflict. More than a third of Afghans have personal experience of fleeing their homes because of insecurity and violence. Nearly half a million Afghans are internally displaced, some living in utter destitution in urban slums where dozens of children died of cold last winter. I welcome the Government’s commitment to developing a policy on displacement and call for immediate action to find lasting solutions for the plight of displaced people.

3. Five million Afghans are refugees and migrants outside their country’s borders, mainly in Iran and Pakistan. In light of increasing calls by host country Governments for the speedy return of Afghans, I urge everyone involved in this process to manage it through voluntary repatriation in a safe, dignified and coordinated way. I encourage donors to support the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees agreed by host countries, Afghanistan and UNHCR in May.

4. Afghanistan is highly prone to natural disasters including earthquakes and landslides. So far this year, more than 200,000 Afghans have been affected by some 300 natural disasters. Humanitarian agencies need to build the capacity of the Afghan Government and the local authorities who are the first line of response, to prevent and prepare for these events and to minimize loss of life.

5. The Consolidated Appeal for Afghanistan for 2012 calls for US$448 million to implement 165 projects across the country. Half way through the year, it is only 30 per cent funded. I count on all to help mobilize resources for those in acute need.

(Emergency Relief Coordinator: UNOCHA – 12 July 2012)