Can the chains of modern slavery be broken?

Slavery has evolved and manifested itself in different ways throughout history and sadly, it still exists today. Slavery refers to the condition in which one human being is being owned by another.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) more than 40 million people worldwide are victims of modern slavery. In addition, more than 150 million children are subject to child labour, accounting for almost one in ten children around the world.

Although modern slavery is not defined in law, it is used as an umbrella term covering practices such as forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and human trafficking. Essentially, it refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power. Victims of slavery are often being taken captive against their will and are trapped in their circumstances.

Alongside traditional forms of forced labour, such as bonded labour and debt bondage there now exist more contemporary forms of forced labour, such as migrant workers, who have been trafficked for economic exploitation of every kind in the world economy: work in domestic servitude, the construction industry, the food and garment industry, the agricultural sector and in forced prostitution.

Main forms of Modern Slavery

Forced labour

To mark ‘World Day against Trafficking in Persons’, an international cartoon competition aimed at raising awareness about modern slavery was organised.

The challenge was “What if your pencil was a tool against forced labour?” The competition was held at a time when the risks of being trapped in forced labour have increased due to the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

Portuguese cartoonist Gargalo Vasco was awarded 1^st place for the challenge. His cartoon was selected for its powerful message and beautiful depiction of the way forced labour affects the entire world, while being hidden from our eyes. No region, no economic sectors is exempted from forced labour, and we all have a role to play to end it.

Vasco said that drawing is his way to express his opinion and make people reflect about social and political issues. Forced labour and child labour are part of his agenda, as we live in such an unfair world and these issues are many times unseen.

Image credits: https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_815631/lang–en/index.htm

“More than ever, urgent action is needed to eliminate forced labour. Cartoons can open the public’s eyes, combat indifference and ultimately push people to act,” said Martine Combemale, President and Founder of RHSF. “We hope they will make people realize that forced labour is around us, through the goods and services we consume, because it can happen in our community, in our neighbourhood.”

“Forced labour is a complex subject”, said Philippe Vanhuynegem, Chief of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work Branch at the ILO. “Some stereotypical images, such as chains and balls, are often used to represent modern slavery. However, nowadays, the mechanisms through which a person can be coerced into work can be much more subtle; through deception, passport confiscation, withholding of wages or manipulation of debt.

2. Child labour

Children around the world, girls and boys, are exploited sexually, used by adults for sex or used in sexual images (pornography) or performances. They may be bought and sold into marriage, prostitution or slavery – in both developing and industrialized countries. Children are also kidnapped and then trafficked across borders and then sold to be prostitutes in foreign countries.

This form of child labour has serious short- and long-term consequences. Children are at a high risk of physical abuse, malnutrition and sexually transmitted diseases. It is extremely difficult for children to get out of this situation and very hard for them to deal with what they have experienced physically and mentally.

Globally, one in ten children works. The majority of the child labour that occurs today is for economic exploitation. That goes against the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognizes “the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.”

Work which could harm children’s health or well-being and/or expose them to danger is also a “worst form of child labour”.

This could be work in a dangerous environment, such as in a mine, where children risk death or injury from tunnel collapses, accidental explosions or rock falls. In industry, the children may be exposed to dangerous chemicals and substances, so burns and serious injury are common. They may also be exposed to toxic substances such as mercury and lead, and can develop chronic health conditions such as silicosis (a respiratory disease in the lungs). Agricultural work also presents great dangers, especially where children have to work with dangerous tools and equipment or with chemical substances, like pesticides for crops. Much of the time, the children have either no safety equipment, or it is adult equipment, which does not fit properly and does not provide proper protection.

Many types of work are physically harmful to children, especially when done for long periods of time. For example, children may have to sit bent over in one position, or crawl in small spaces which can cause disfigurement, spinal injuries and difficulty walking straight. This could be work such as sewing footballs or clothes, breaking bricks and rocks for road building, making matchsticks, crawling through a mine, making bricks. Or they might constantly be bent over from carrying loads that are too heavy.

Furthermore, child labourers are involved in hazardous work when they are exposed to all types of weather conditions (e.g. scorching hot sun, hard rain) and may not have shoes or adequate clothing. They can easily develop coughs and catch pneumonia or other illnesses.

Children are also exposed to hazardous work when the workplace is unsanitary, poorly lit and poorly ventilated. This is also true when clean drinking water, health services and schools are unavailable, especially in the more remote areas. In these conditions, children are more at risk of catching illnesses and disease.

Screenshots taken from:

This is a sad and depressing situation that has to be addressed. Children ought to experience the joys of childhood and have access to education.

3. Trafficking

Human trafficking steals lives. It is a global problem that transcends borders and is often a crime just out of reach of national law enforcement agencies, especially when it moves to the online space.

There are some human traffickers who pretend to be recruiters from ‘recruitment agencies’ and provide false hopes and dreams to victims who are searching for better job prospects overseas and provide a better living for their families. In the end, victims are exploited and held captive in a foreign country which they are unable to escape from.

Screenshot taken from: https://www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-couple-found-guilty-of-keeping-woman-as-a-slave-for-eight-years/47cdfafd-6d77-4b1d-be62-8ea76ca94037

Around the world, an estimated 40 million people — one-fourth of them children — are caught up in the multi-billion-dollar industry. Three out of four of the trafficking victims are recruited for sexual exploitation.

The only way to stop trafficking in women and girls is prevention, which requires changing cultural norms and practices that objectify, debase and control women’s and girls’ bodies.

Reducing the demand for sexual exploitation requires challenging harmful masculinities and ideas of male entitlement to women’s bodies, and here we can draw lessons from broader strategies to prevent violence against women. For instance, UN Women in Ecuador has developed a programme on non-violent masculinities targeting young men as part of its efforts to prevent trafficking in women and girls.

Does modern slavery happen in Singapore?

In search of better economic opportunities, migrant workers willingly emigrate from other parts of Asia, typically Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, Vietnam and Philippines to work in hospitality, construction, domestic service, performing arts, manufacturing and service industries in Singapore. They have hopes of a building a better future as they work overseas.

Unfortunately, there are oppressors who believe that making money matters more than a person’s life. Driven by greed and overlooked by their local legal system, some employers dictate the actions of migrant workers because they can apply or cancel work visas. As a result, migrant workers might suffer harsh and inhumane working conditions or be forced to engage in unlawful services, just to remain in Singapore to provide a living for their families back home. It is not uncommon for these vulnerabilities to be exacerbated by personal circumstances, such as debt that they may have taken on in order to work in Singapore. Their lack of literacy and language further isolates them as they are often unable to access help easily when exploited.

In Singapore, many people engage the help of domestic workers to assist in cleaning and caretaking of young children and elderly. Migrant domestic workers are a vulnerable group of people especially when they are isolated while being ill-treated by their employees.

Screenshot credits:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39402698 (left)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57563235 (right)

What can we do to help those who might be enslaved?

Spot the Signs

✔︎ Unable to leave their employment
✔︎ Do not know where they stay or work
✔︎ Transport to and from the work place is supervised
✔︎ Do not have access to their phone
✔︎ Long working hours with insufficient rest and little food
✔︎ Debt is compounded if they decide to leave
✔︎ Face threats of harm to themselves or their families back home
✔︎ Do not have their passport or work permit
✔︎ Do not know how to contact the authorities if they need help
✔︎ Unable to speak English
✔︎ Lacks confidence and has low self-esteem, unable to keep eye contact

in conversation
✔︎ Fearful of employer
✔︎ Has bruises or cuts on body
✔︎ Anxious whenever police and authority are mentioned

If you have seen something that you suspect as abuse, do not be a bystander. Your intervention can save a life. Report cases of abuse or provide any crime-related information to the police: https://www.police.gov.sg/I-Witness or talk to a trusted adult who will take the necessary actions to stop acts of injustice. Abusers need to be held accountable for their actions.
Last but not last, do not be involved in any kinds of abuse.

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