50 million people in slavery!
Africans were the first to be required to wear face masks. This metal mask was used during slavery for various reasons.
-To prevent the slaves from eating fruit during harvesting
-To stop the slaves from singing African spiritual songs. Not only did these spiritual and war songs influence slave masters, they also motivated slaves to rebel
-To prevent slaves from teaching African local dialects to their children
-To starve slaves as punishment in the slave camps. The mask prevented them from eating or drinking
An inky history. But have we learned from it?
Recent research from the International Labor Organization, Walk Free and the International Organization for Migration shows that slavery is on the rise. Of these, about 70% are women and 30% men. 50 million people worldwide now live in slavery, of which 3.3 million are children.
The number of people in ‘modern slavery’ has risen sharply in recent years. According to the index, there are 10 million more people in slavery than in 2016.
According to Walk Free, modern slavery is most prevalent in North Korea (104.6 per 1,000 inhabitants), Eritrea (90.3), and Mauritania (32.0). Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Tajikistan, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Afghanistan and Kuwait are also in the top ten.
Modern slavery talks about: human trafficking, forced labor, forced prostitution, forced marriages, exploitation and the most serious forms of child labor.
People who have been forced to leave their homes due to climate change, conflicts or extreme weather conditions are particularly at risk of exploitation. In addition, restrictions on women’s rights and the economic and social consequences of the corona pandemic have led to a deterioration of the situation
“Modern slavery permeates every aspect of our society. It is woven into our clothes, it lights up our electronics and it spices up our food,” says Grace Forrest, founder of Walk Free.
The organization is calling for laws to be introduced to end modern slavery in supply chains. The fight against slavery must also be integrated into humanitarian aid and the development of a green economy. Furthermore, children, especially girls, must be better protected through greater access to education and by preventing forced marriages.
Many people have horror images of slavery on cotton plantations in the US in mind. The point is, it might be just as bad now. The difference is that, for example, bosses of Chinese companies that have people in slavery in mines in Africa now protect their faces with face masks. But now to avoid coming into contact with the toxic substances that today’s slaves have to mine by hand!
Slavery did not disappear with our king’s apology on July 1st!
By Frank Landman
Brought to you by
Francis van Schaik
Website: www.kindercoaching-ikben.nl
Francis van Schaik
Francis van Schaik is a coach of young people and also a student of human relationships with nature, the world and Truth. She regularly contributes to our online magazine. Francis is the regular contributor of articles in this page.