{"id":5686,"date":"2019-08-25T00:18:53","date_gmt":"2019-08-25T00:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/ng\/?p=5686"},"modified":"2019-08-25T00:18:53","modified_gmt":"2019-08-25T00:18:53","slug":"opinion-african-slavery-is-still-thriving-in-the-world-today-nigeria-president-muhammadu-buhari-there-are-40-million-men-women-and-children-living-in-forced-servitude-modern-form-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/opinion-african-slavery-is-still-thriving-in-the-world-today-nigeria-president-muhammadu-buhari-there-are-40-million-men-women-and-children-living-in-forced-servitude-modern-form-i\/","title":{"rendered":"OPINION: ‘AFRICAN Slavery is still thriving in the world today’-Nigeria President, MUHAMMADU BUHARI \u2026There are 40 million men, women and children living in forced servitude * Modern form includes: debt bondage, enslavement of war captives, commercial sexual exploitation\/ forced domestic servitude, holding people held against their will and controlling their movements * We must remember that slavery is not simply a campaign of hatred; it is the pursuit of profit. One way to extinguish it in its current forms, therefore, is to make it economically unfeasible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\n‘AFRICAN\nSlavery is still thriving in the world today’<\/strong>–<\/strong>Nigeria\nPresident, MUHAMMADU BUHARI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026There\nare 40 million men, women and children living in forced servitude<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\nModern form includes: debt bondage, enslavement of war captives,\ncommercial sexual exploitation\/ forced domestic servitude, holding\npeople held against their will and controlling their movements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\nWe must remember that slavery is not simply a campaign of hatred; it\nis the pursuit of profit. One way to extinguish it in its current\nforms, therefore, is to make it economically unfeasible<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muhammadu\nBuhari: Slavery still exists. We must take action<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nFour\ncenturies ago, the first 20 documented African slaves arrived on the\nshores of Virginia. In the years that followed, millions more were\nshipped in dehumanizing conditions across the ocean and enslaved.\nSlavery had, of course, existed before. But this indicated the\nbeginning of a mechanized trade that saw human beings reduced to\nproperty on an unprecedented scale.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nDespite\nthe fact that descendants of African slaves have made valuable\ncontributions across society, they are still dealing with the effects\nof this poisonous legacy. They still have to navigate its everyday\nmanifestations, such as discrimination, racism or lack of access to\nresources and opportunities. This must not be overlooked or\nforgotten.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nYet,\nas we reflect on this day, International Day for the Remembrance of\nthe Slave Trade and Its Abolition, it is clear slavery did not only\nthrive then. It still thrives today. Across the world it is estimated\nthere are as many as 40 million men, women and children living in\nforced servitude. They are the industrial victims of a business many\nbelieve was abolished hundreds of years ago. They are the modern\nenslaved.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTheir\nexploitation appears in many guises, though usually unrecognized as\nslavery. Many victims are unseen, hidden beneath opaque supply\nchains. Others are hidden in plain sight, entrapped by circumstances\nthat rob them of autonomy. In any case, their labor, often dangerous,\nis no product of choice, and its conditions are self-perpetuating.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIn\nAfrica, its modern forms include debt bondage, the enslavement of war\ncaptives, commercial sexual exploitation and forced domestic\nservitude. Holding people held against their will, controlling their\nmovements and forcing them to work for the sole profit of others \u2014\nwherever they are \u2014 is slavery today and always.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nabolitionists of the 19th century succeeded more than any before: By\nworking to extinguish the transatlantic slave trade that had claimed\n15 million victims, they laid the groundwork to ensure it did not\nmanufacture millions more. But their work is not done. We must take\nup their examples as we forge a path forward to eliminate modern-day\nslavery in all its forms.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSlavery,\nonce again, has become entwined in the global economy \u2014 and it is\nlargely unseen. For instance, most of us might know in principle that\nthe mining of cobalt crucial to our smartphones might have used\nforced labor. But what do we know of those that experience it? Just\nas personal testimony and resulting public pressure led to the\npassing of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in Britain in\n1807, these stories must be told and used to inform policy. Once\nheard, they can elevate visceral reactions, driving the public\npressure needed to ensure the application of anti-slavery laws.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nOne\ndistinction from then and now is important: the costs. From records,\nadjusted for today\u2019s prices, the cost of a human-being-as-property\nwas valued on average at $40,000. Today, it is just $90, sometimes\neven lower. We must remember that slavery is not simply a campaign of\nhatred; it is the pursuit of profit. One way to extinguish it in its\ncurrent forms, therefore, is to make it economically unfeasible. This\nmeans making sure that any anti-slavery laws have bite, come with\nstrong penalties and are enforced.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIt\nis also vital to have a robust tip-off and reporting system. Where\nthis once meant detecting ships, today the signs are less\nconspicuous. The public must be shown how to see what is hidden in\nplain sight, particularly signs of suspicious behavior. This might\nseem broad. But vagueness should not give rise to reluctance to\nreport anything that could be smuggling or forced servitude. If\nsomething doesn\u2019t look right, report it, for you could be securing\nanother human\u2019s freedom.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIn\nNigeria, our anti-trafficking agency has rolled out the \u201cNot for\nSale\u201d campaign to protect against the deceptions of human\nsmugglers, helping those who might be vulnerable to false promises\nsee through the ruse and say no. These prevention programs are\ncrucial.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nappearance of slavery today might have changed. The institution has\nnot. There are no radical solutions to conjure, only political will.\nBut on this, we can learn from the past, the shadows in which modern\nslavery proliferates today.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIt\nis not enough to mark this 400th anniversary. We must use it as a\nplatform to eliminate slavery in all its present-day forms. We should\nreflect in memory to find a better future, one that should ensure\nfreedom for all.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘AFRICAN Slavery is still thriving in the world today’–Nigeria President, MUHAMMADU BUHARI \u2026There are 40 million men, women and children living in forced servitude * Modern form includes: debt bondage, enslavement of war captives, commercial sexual exploitation\/ forced domestic servitude, holding people held against their will and controlling their movements * We must remember that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[133],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5686","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-opinion"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}