Does Slavery Still Exits?

Slavery existed before written history, and since then it suffered many alterations. Nowadays some people might argue that slavery still exists to some extent, but some might say that slavery is completely over.

I believe it still exists, just in a different way.

Slavery is the legal or economic system where people are treated as property. People can be forced to work or they can be owned by an employer that usually abuses them mentally or physically.

It can also be dehumanization, where slaves lose their identity and become mere property. Slaves are restricted from all kinds of freedom of movement.

Does slavery still exist today? What is it called?

Modern slavery, or contemporary slavery, is harder to be spotted due to its more discreet nature.

Children that have been in arranged marriage at a very young age are included in the category of modern slavery. There are many countries where marrying at a young age is a traditional way of living, except they don't think if it as slavery

"Marriage involving children under 18 years old remains a widely culturally accepted practice in many corners of the globe. Estimates suggest that 11 percent of women worldwide were married before reaching the age of 15 (UNICEF 2012). Although boys can be affected by the practice, a great majority who suffer slavery as a consequence of child marriage are girls," stated an Anti-Slavery U.K. website.

Human trafficking is also included in the modern slavery category; human trafficking is where men, women and children are brought to a situation by the use of violence, and are usually forced to work against their will.

Sexual exploitation is the most usual form of human trafficking, even though there are many other forms. Unfortunately, many people fall into human trafficking as a way of escaping poverty and discrimination-- they're just trying to find a better life.

"Because many trafficked persons are never identified, it is difficult to get accurate statistics on the numbers affected, but the International Labour Organization estimates that worldwide, at any one time there, are some 2.5 million people who have been trafficked and are being subjected to sexual or labour exploitation," proclaimed the Anti-Slavery website.

Even though some people may deny it, it has been proven that children are being pushed to work in factories, mines, bars, restaurants and even other environments. Most of them are forced to work long hours with no permission for breaks.

According to the International Labour Organization, there are 215 million child laborers aged between five and 17 years old. Worldwide, nearly 10 million children are in slavery, debt, bondage, trafficking, pornography and other illicit activities.

What do you think about modern slavery? Do you think slavery still exists? Write us back and share your opinion.