Introduction
In the early seventeenth century, European colonists in the US turned to Africa for slaves in an effort of getting a cheaper, more abundant source of labor when judged against indentured servants (mainly the more underprivileged Europeans). 1619 acted as the year when slavery increased across colonies in America following a Dutch ship bringing twenty Africans ashore in Virginia. Although it is not possible to obtain accurate statistics, researchers have established that six to seven million slaves were brought to the New World in the eighteenth century alone and this divested Africa of most of her strongest and ablest people. Though the majority of people assume that slavery is an occurrence of the past, it still has a great impact on contemporary society (Kempadoo, 2015). Governments ought to implement stringent measures against modern slavery as felons across the globe keep on finding new approaches to exploiting susceptible men, women, and children, in addition to undermining their human rights through forced labor.
Problem Statement
Be it through the sexual enslavement of girls or trafficking of males for forced labor, slavery has had a tremendous impact on modern society. This poses a great danger to human rights and self-respect. Regardless of slavery in Mauritania being illegalized in late 2007, it is approximated that more than 500,000 people, about 21% of the population, are presently enslaved with most of them under debt bondage.
Literature Review
Slavery in the US commenced when slaves from Africa landed in the North American colony of Jamestown to assist in the farming of crops such as tobacco. Slavery made America an agricultural power, and its impact is still felt as even with the absence of slaves, cotton, and tobacco act as staple crops in South America. On the other hand, slavery also influenced Africa as it made the continent appear very easy to colonize (Kempadoo, 2015). The impact of this in contemporary times is that Africa has continued to trail behind the industrial world with respect to the gross domestic product (GDP) and life expectancy. Slavery has continued to influence modern societies as it carried on the notion that the powerful can control the weak as some individuals are superior to others (Kara, 2017). This perspective continues to thrive to date through racist approaches.
Some of the aspects that put children and adults at risk of trafficking and forced labor are increased joblessness and poverty. For instance, more than 100,000 children are trafficked every year for forced labor in cotton fields (Kara, 2017). To eliminate modern slavery, the government, ChildFund, and other organizations should strengthen child protection with the assistance of families and leaders within societies through enhancing a sequence of mentoring activities, awareness, and training to mention a few. Efforts should also be made to facilitate access to education for all children, especially for those from poor families, which is a crucial element in the prevention of trafficking. If children are offered adequate educational opportunities, they will be less likely to be enticed by traffickers, and they will have a high chance of breaking the cycle of poverty in their families.
Methodology
Data Collection
This study will employ secondary means of data collection where information will be sourced from Google and online libraries such as EBSCOhost and Emerald. The researcher will first look for ten recent journal articles on the topic. From the selected ten, the researcher will then choose the best five whose data will be used in the study.
Data Analysis
The researcher will utilize the qualitative method of data analysis in the study. The analysis will assist in establishing the most effective solutions to the problem of modern slavery.
Conclusion
Though most people believe that slavery is a thing of the past, it still influences contemporary society. Governments globally ought to work together to create measures of curbing modern slavery. Moreover, efforts ought to be put in place to facilitate access to education for all children, particularly the ones from poor families.
References
Kara, S. (2017). Perspectives on human trafficking and modern forms of slavery. Social Inclusion, 5(2), 1-2.
Kempadoo, K. (2015). The modern-day white (wo)man’s burden: Trends in anti-trafficking and anti-slavery campaigns. Journal of Human Trafficking, 1(1), 8-20.