So good news! The international slave trade is alive and kicking. Apparently there are more slaves globally now than there have ever been at any point in human history: 27 million. Hard to believe, but as Hillary Clinton says, this is "the dark underbelly of globalization."
Author E. Benjamin Skinner recently wrote a book on the subject after going undercover around the world to learn more about how it all works. It comes in many forms (debt bondage, forced domestic servitude, forced prostitution), and is rampant throughout Asian, Africa, Europe, the Americas... it's everywhere.
There's an interview with the author on salon.com, which is a short 2-page read, and may be more than you can stomach. But in my mind, knowing about the problem and spreading awareness are probably the least (and maybe even the most) I can do, and I'd ask that you do the same. Who knows, you may be in a position at some point to help someone who's tied to slavery...
Author E. Benjamin Skinner recently wrote a book on the subject after going undercover around the world to learn more about how it all works. It comes in many forms (debt bondage, forced domestic servitude, forced prostitution), and is rampant throughout Asian, Africa, Europe, the Americas... it's everywhere.
There's an interview with the author on salon.com, which is a short 2-page read, and may be more than you can stomach. But in my mind, knowing about the problem and spreading awareness are probably the least (and maybe even the most) I can do, and I'd ask that you do the same. Who knows, you may be in a position at some point to help someone who's tied to slavery...
4 comments:
I'm halfway through his book right now. I have to keep stopping because it's so horrible (the situations, not the writing). It is actually giving me some hope that the neocons are not totally evil.
The first shipment of pads got to Kenya - in a thank you letter, the director of the school that received them mentioned that he is grateful that the girls have reusable pads now, because many of them had been trading sex for disposable menstrual products so they could stay in school. doesn't that just make you want to learn how to sew?
Wow. That really does make me want to learn to sew. Is it like one pad per girl? Or do they need multiple...? That's just insane... trading sex for tampons so you can stay in school. That's just insane.
Also... neocons *are* totally evil. I'm glad they're fighting the slave trade, though.
Graeme, I don't have your email address, but I wanted to invite you to this, on the chance you'd be in the Chicagoland area at this time:
http://web.mac.com/markhahn1/iWeb/Payton%20Blog/Payton%2034%20Blog/Payton%2034%20Blog.html
actually, sex for pads. there's a big taboo on insertion/breaking the hymen in a lot of African societies, so tampons are a no-go. Plus there's the whole female circumcision issue (which doesn't apply to all of the cultures the pads are going to, but does to some). It's too bad, because it would be awesome to be able to give out diva cups. Each girl gets 5 pads, a waterproof carry bag, and panties if the regional person indicates that the girls in the area don't have them.
I was just happy to learn that neocons sometimes spent their time on something other than oppressing people for fun. I guess they don't like competition?
and graeme's education in menstruation continues :-P
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