Five years ago, I became the UN's
first special
rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery. Since then, I have been
asked time and again by government officials, businesspeople and NGOs not to
use the word "slavery"
at all. I have been asked to change the name of my mandate and not speak out
about what I have seen. They have asked me to use other words instead – ones
that don't carry the same meanings or implications.
Yet what other word describes people
who have been beaten mercilessly, shut indoors, made to work without pay,
sexually abused, poorly fed and threatened with more abuse against themselves
and their family if they attempt to leave? This is not just violence or
exploitation. What describes the situation in which a mother has no right over
her child, or a father is forced to put down his own life – and those of his
family – as collateral, working for nothing to try to repay a debt that will
never go away? These are the forms of slavery that exist today.
Millions of people live in some form of
enslavement. The exact numbers are impossible to calculate. Modern
slavery is one of the most
powerful criminal industries (pdf), and it is because of our
collective silence and refusal to acknowledge its existence that it thrives and
transforms itself into new forms year after year. By not speaking out, we are
helping to perpetuate an industry that strips millions of their humanity and
rights.
Slavery did not end when it was
legally abolished. Instead, it is flourishing, extending its tentacles into
every corner of the planet.
This is something that touches all
our lives. It is almost impossible not to be complicit. How many of us ask
ourselves who makes biofuels,
jewellery,
vegetables,
fruit, clothes,
shoes and even carpets?
We all enjoy the cheap fruits of enslavement, while telling ourselves that
exploitation happens "over there" and is nothing to do with our own
country or community.
Sex trafficking is finally starting
to receive visibility as the horrendous human rights abuse it is. Yet more
widespread forms of slavery and trafficking continue to go unreported and
ignored.
I have spent the past five years
talking to people in forced labour, domestic servitude, bonded labour, servile
marriages and child slavery. These forms of slavery remain invisible, since
people are silenced by discrimination, fear of retaliation and lack of
awareness. These modern forms of human slavery and criminal acts are often
excused as tradition, culture, religion or poverty, or dismissed as nothing
more than bad labour practices.
The slavery industry relies on the
invisibility of those it preys on. Those trapped are not visibly shackled, but
they do live their lives under the control of others.
For the world to tackle slavery
effectively, we need to recognise this industry in people in all of its
manifestations. Human rights are equal and inalienable. I have met
organisations working on ending forced marriage, or on the abuse and
exploitation of domestic workers and children, who feel they are unable to call
these abuses slavery as the word is too loaded and they would put their work at
risk. This must stop. Slavery is slavery, no matter what form it takes.
We must face up to all forms of
slavery or inadvertently ignore the plight of millions. One type of slavery,
such as sex trafficking, cannot be considered more worth fighting for than
another. We have a collective responsibility to end this pernicious and
persistent problem.
All countries must ensure that they
have national legislation prohibiting and criminalising all forms of slavery,
and this legislation must be properly enforced. The failure of justice systems
to put anti-slavery laws into action is one of the props the slavery industry
relies upon. This needs to change.
To combat slavery, we need to speak
for people who have been silenced by this most brutal of trades. We must stop
being complacent, and find the courage to hold individuals, companies and
governments accountable. Complacency is no longer an option.
• Gulnara Shahinian is the UN special
rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery
