Understanding Global Slavery by Kevin Bales - Book Report/Review Example

International Relations Global slavery means to involve and review today’s manifestation, whereby the slaves are mistreated, and provide a solution that can be implemented to those interested in the law, to bring slavery to an end. This is according to author Kevin Bales in his book ‘Understanding global slavery: a reader.’ Bales’ understanding of global slavery is that there should be proper researched issues revolving slavery, when arguing of the virtues and the vices. His main aim being to end slavery, he cites ignorance as the main factor contributing to the issue of slaves. There is need to balance international and national security to safeguard human rights. To some point, this has been proven difficult when tension aroused from the sovereign states to intervene for the third world countries. Bales emphasizes that based on the rights, migrants should be considered in regard to their cultural, social and economic background (Bales 110). The author values the slaves, when he describes the issue of refugees based on legal and political perspective as humanitarian circles, which deal specifically in taking care of people who abandons their countries with different reasons. The individuals are recognized by the international law where by all the information pertaining them were written and adopted, based on time, political and their historical background. Legal developments have been observed concerning the amendment on slavery to protect them from various types of threats they were being subjected to. This further called for the humanitarians to hold a global consultation in the year 2001, to talk about emerging issues related to how the refugee’s problems could be tackled on the international basis. Bales claims that the western countries still show little or no interest when it comes to dealing with matters about the slaves. According to the author’s approach, his finding on this issue of slaves is that it can be sorted out, if some seriousness id employed. This is by help of the society and both the government and non-government organizations, and at international levels. The slavery problem can be solved based on the above named level capabilities. Bales finds out the bitter truth about refugees lifestyle and how they are mistreated. For instance, the issue of slaves providing labor in cocoa plantations at the Ivory Coast. Despite this awful condition, necessary steps have been adopted by different organizations, including business groups, which are there to ensure that changes are enforced to curb this problem. Bales also finds out that when people colloborate with their leaders at the same time working together with the organizations that can assist, this can contribute to a viable solution to this international problem. He goes further to suggest what can be done at different levels. To begin with, the government’s level requires people to participate by electing their favorable leaders who will enhance the safety of their people by ensuring that their citizens are protected from trafficking of which they end up being enslaved in other countries. Legal clauses that deprive the human rights should be dropped out of the constitution. The government needs to check on the terms and conditions of labor, to ensure that no worker’s rights are not violated and are in accordance with his or her work. In analyzing the situation critically, all the doors that land people to get jobs oversees should be closed and we should work hand in hand with labor groups to discourage child labor and other forms of illegal employment. Businesses should be regulated, especially the big companies to create a positive view against working with the slaves, at the same time acting exemplary for other companies to emulate them. When the labor organizations monitor the work venues especially in the farms, with diplomacy and aid from their colleagues in other countries, slave in our society will be eradicated completely. At the international level, bodies like the United Nations UN can also assist to prevent the today’s ways of slavery. Members of the public can also interact with UNICEF to avoid children trafficking especially at times of war and arrange for the public speaking programs to inform citizens more of their duties. During wars, UN offer security to the unprivileged, hence protecting them from being taken away as slaves. Citizens are stakeholders of the Security Council and therefore, they should cooperate with the international bodies to fight against the slavery issue by encouraging them in measures they take. From a multi-modal approach, Bales states that slavery and corruption are related in a way. This study also helps researchers to understand the manner in which corruption leads to trafficking of people. This occurs because of organized crimes, which are on a rise because of the new technologies, but fortunately, the situation has been eased by the legal authorities. Research reveals that 800,000 human beings are sold in other states as slaves and with this rising number, it makes it extremely difficult to handle the crime. This has turned out to be a new form of business that involves people exchanged for currency. It is also evident in some countries that even the government officials participate in trafficking and making it hard to deal with the crime, along with other factors like corruption and politicians disagreements. To complicate the matters even more, leaders and heads of judiciary engage in sexual behaviors with the same slave victims. This results to breaking of the law instead of the officials being less responsible and exemplary to their juniors. Poverty has also contributed to this state especially when it comes to women and children, they are considered to have no say at all. Other factors that also lead to trafficking are illiteracy in our society, low income, lack of homes and discrimination basing on race and cultures. This form of crime has proved difficult to track down as it incorporates more illegal actions within itself, ranging from faking of documents to sexual harassment of the victims. This has resulted to adapting the name “irregular phenomenon,” implying to a criminal behavior that is hard to tackle, as it tends to change every time. This further inhibits data collection, making it hard and hindering the effective investigations by the respective authorities such as the government organizations. It is difficult to get data pertaining corruption because of the complicated corrupt practices involved. Corruption is more common in international trafficking where there are 43 out of 63 cases, unlike in domestic where there are only 15 cases. This is evident when false documents are issued when young people cross the border. Therefore, from both sources, we find out that leaders play a big role when it comes to human trafficking, either by participating through faking of their documents or by sexually harassing them. In both cases, the human rights are ignored mostly by the officials despite the fact that they are clearly stated in the constitution. The only way of coming up with a solution is to involve citizens to work together with the leaders from the ground level to report any cases of corruption that lead to slave business. On the other hand, members of the public should choose representatives who will lead them in a diplomatic manner. Based on my own perspective, Slavery is all about mistreating people, by either forcing them to perform hard duties against their wish or subjecting them to harsh conditions. A slave is anyone who is stays at a new place against his or her will after birth, being purchased and denied right to leave even when he is subjected to harsh conditions. Slavery is also shown when young kids are adopted and forced to work as slaves or people being forced to get married, and later turned to be slaves. This act of slavery occurs across different cultures and the number keeps on increasing as days progress by, a factor, which is today approximated in millions. Among them are the debt slaves who are taken to compensate their lenders in cases. Trafficking is aimed at turning women and young girls into sex pets. Global slavery occurs outside our nation’s border, involving many countries where the slaves are distributed. Slaves are named according to what they do; there are those who are treated as personal property and are exchanged as goods, also called chattel slavery, which existed, long ago as a traditional type of slavery. There is also bonded form of slavery that is frequent today, of which one becomes a slave at an expense of paying back debts. Human trafficking is the trade carried out against the law, where individuals are induced to work as slaves. When it comes to forced labor, people are subjected to harsh conditions where they work forcefully, or given other forms of punishment at the same time they are denied their freedom. It is under forced labor that all other forms of slavery falls under. Slavery act is illegal in many countries but the rate is still increasing with approximately 12 million people today being treated as slaves. Special programs have been initiated to create awareness concerning forced labor and what it is entailed about. Through these programs, it has led to the government to come up with reformed policies and laws that result to disseminating educative materials for people in various communities to access them. They have also come up with labor markets to absorb more people to avoid slave trade. Through various projects, it is possible to reduce this illegal business through searching for the victims and finding them suitable places to stay. Human being trafficking is a way of getting slaves, which incorporates false promises, where parties involved are promised offers like marriages, jobs, or even migration when in real sense they are recruited on false basis and later turned to be slaves. They are taken to be sold by either their families and taken by former slaves, a process that is fulfilled by intimidation, threats and being harassed physically. Majority of people who are tortured are women and children who are forced into sex trafficking and men being subjected to manual work. The emergence of legal bodies like International Labour Organizations, have really helped in taking necessary steps in prosecuting individuals who violate against human rights. Slave trade had also its effects and children are the ones who suffered most. They were subjected to beatings, which left them with scars; they faced starvation and lived in very bad conditions. This results to the kids further suffering emotionally. According to psychologists; being slaves, especially children, leads to severe destruction of mind, the spirit, and even the physical appearance. They lose their confidence and the fact that they lost ties with their families affects them more emotionally. Thus for one to overcome this situation it needs a lot of time to heal. In conclusion, the author of the article ‘Understanding global slavery: a reader,’ has really highlighted several issues, which concern slavery. He asserts that the slave business has really undermined our society and if we do not join as a whole to solve this issue, our friends, and families will continue suffering. This calls for our assistance us members of the public, government and non-government officials to join hands to eradicate this form of trade from our society completely. This can only be achieved when we start opposing the act from the ground level, as we climb the ladder to the national and finally fight the slave trade at international levels. Working with humanitarians like the UN or the UNICEF at international level and our leaders at the national level will help solve this slave trade issue and our world will be slave free. Work Cited Bales, Kevin. Understanding global slavery: a reader. Washington: University of California Press, 2005. Print. Read More