Modern Slavery
Slavery still exists in the modern age. Despite being labeled under numerous titles such as bonded labor, forced labor, or sex trafficking, the ancient practice is present worldwide with about 27 million people falling victims under it. There are 18,000 people trafficked in the US. Traffickers see this inhuman perversion as a way to maximize profits while minimizing labor costs. The main issue is that there cultural practices that interfere with its abolishment. In some cultures, such as Trokosi, people are ignorantly led to believe that they will be cursed if they don’t subject themselves to this scheme. Therefore it would be difficult to convince them otherwise. Also many modern day slaves work in sweatshops or for commercial sex and therefore it’s difficult to prosecute businesses that could be used as a mask for a inhumane system. Most recently a nail salon business in south boston was being investigated for covering a money laundering human trafficking scheme.
We were surprised to hear that Human Trafficking victims are often taken at a young age with it being as young as 8 years old. It was also startling that the perpetrator was a priest as it contradicts the unholy acts he, as well as others, commits on innocent young girls. There are roughly 27 million people, mostly women and children, who are being held in some form of slavery. This greatly astonished us because that’s a lot of victims under a system that is considered primitive and ancient. The irony is that it exists in a modern and relatively liberal world. The victims of human trafficking in most situations are taken to the shrine by their family members in order to repay a crime that their family members have committed. Knowing this gave us a feeling of apathy and concern for the women who would spend the rest of their lives paying for a crime as a sex slave to a priest who feels no remorse. This has taught us that this issue is more complicated than we initially thought. It’s difficult to stop an issue that has not only existed for so long, but also has ties to religious or cultural traditions.
We admire Juliana Dogbadzi for her sheer courage. It is unfathomably incredible for her to not only survive the horrific ordeal she endured, but to revisit shrines, that would otherwise bring back painful memories along with the dangers of threats from people opposed to her advocacy. It is also remarkable that she was able to come to terms with her family. Although they betrayed her twice, both resulting in traumatizing consequences, she has forgiven them and does not harbor any grudge against them or to the father of her first child. She is also selfless in that she wasn’t only thinking about her safety and survival. Once she became free, she focused on helping other women in her situation. This shows her bravery and strength because she willingly goes back to shrines in order to educate and fight for their freedom. Personally, we would get involved in environmental issues, child soldiers, or religious freedom. Environmental issues are more tangible because we could help whenever we want. We could start with basics, such as recycling more, using less water, etc. As for child soldiers, I honestly never really paid much attention to that issue. However when the media such as the Kony 2012 video went viral, it really opened up my eyes up to the devastating issue that exists in parts of the world we often neglect. This also applies to the issue of religious freedom. Ultimately, creative outlets or the media would get me involved because realistically, we can’t be on the front lines combating the issue but I can contribute to fighting against it.
We were surprised to hear that Human Trafficking victims are often taken at a young age with it being as young as 8 years old. It was also startling that the perpetrator was a priest as it contradicts the unholy acts he, as well as others, commits on innocent young girls. There are roughly 27 million people, mostly women and children, who are being held in some form of slavery. This greatly astonished us because that’s a lot of victims under a system that is considered primitive and ancient. The irony is that it exists in a modern and relatively liberal world. The victims of human trafficking in most situations are taken to the shrine by their family members in order to repay a crime that their family members have committed. Knowing this gave us a feeling of apathy and concern for the women who would spend the rest of their lives paying for a crime as a sex slave to a priest who feels no remorse. This has taught us that this issue is more complicated than we initially thought. It’s difficult to stop an issue that has not only existed for so long, but also has ties to religious or cultural traditions.
We admire Juliana Dogbadzi for her sheer courage. It is unfathomably incredible for her to not only survive the horrific ordeal she endured, but to revisit shrines, that would otherwise bring back painful memories along with the dangers of threats from people opposed to her advocacy. It is also remarkable that she was able to come to terms with her family. Although they betrayed her twice, both resulting in traumatizing consequences, she has forgiven them and does not harbor any grudge against them or to the father of her first child. She is also selfless in that she wasn’t only thinking about her safety and survival. Once she became free, she focused on helping other women in her situation. This shows her bravery and strength because she willingly goes back to shrines in order to educate and fight for their freedom. Personally, we would get involved in environmental issues, child soldiers, or religious freedom. Environmental issues are more tangible because we could help whenever we want. We could start with basics, such as recycling more, using less water, etc. As for child soldiers, I honestly never really paid much attention to that issue. However when the media such as the Kony 2012 video went viral, it really opened up my eyes up to the devastating issue that exists in parts of the world we often neglect. This also applies to the issue of religious freedom. Ultimately, creative outlets or the media would get me involved because realistically, we can’t be on the front lines combating the issue but I can contribute to fighting against it.