Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves
Reviews (42)
Excellent Place tp Begin, But Less for a place to End
This book is meant to be a presentation of Kevin Bales' plan to end modern day slavery in 25 years. That stated, it is put to best use by people who have no background of the subject, or had no idea slavery still existed. For experts or near experts, it may seem a bit young. When I picked it up, I had no idea. Now, about two years later, I train others on this subject professionally, and consistently recommend this as the place to start. It is an EXCELLENT ground work for anyone new to this topic. The book includes facts and statistics, real-life stories and photographs, as well as references and explanations of key terms. It also remains consistent and easy to read at all times.
I found this to be a great resource to learn from
Very informative book with valuable insights on what can be done to diminish slavery. The author is clearly knowledgeable in this field. I found this to be a great resource to learn from.
Bring an end to slavery!
This was a very informative book. It had a lot of insight of how we could fight slavery and help work on ending it. It gave great accounts of people who were in bondage as well.
Outstanding book!
The research that went into this book is some of the best I have seen. When I was done reading I had a much greater understanding as to why slavery exists and what I could do about it.
For our times
Outstanding expose of the institution of slavery around the world. Eye-opening!
book review
This book is highly informative and educational and I would highly recommend it to those who are desiring to learn more about modern day slavery.
Ending Slavery Review
The book was in perfect condition and came in the mail way faster than anticipated. Thanks!
Where Slavery Hides and What We Can Do About Eliminating It
Many people falsely believe that slavery ends whenever a legislature outlaws the practice. But many people will employ slavery if it makes them more money or provides some sexual or psychological gratification. By being on the receiving end of force, intimidation, and overwork, ordinary people can fall into being slaves. Many poor families unintentionally sell their children into slavery under the misapprehension that their youngster is headed for a better life. Kevin Bales rips the veil away that hides the horrors of sex slaves, children tied to their rug looms, unpaid agricultural workers, and exploited household workers that comprise many of todays millions and millions of slaves. You'll be astonished by the facts behind today's slavery. For example, slaves are dirt cheap because of the growth in the population of poor people. This is bad news for slaves because those who enslave them don't even bother to keep slaves alive and healthy. It's too cheap to get another slave. The book next looks at the many reasons why slavery continues: People not recognizing slavery when they see it in front of them; slaves not understanding that people around them would help; and a lack of concerted international and governmental action. Instead, brave slave freers quietly look for missing children, track them down, and plot raids to run off with slaves before owners can counter attack. You can support those efforts by donating monthly to Free the Slaves (the organization Professor Bales heads) or Anti-Slavery International. I signed up to do so. I suspect you will, too. Professor Bales also addresses those with power about how they can change what is being done so that fewer people will be enslaved and those who are enslaved will gain freedom. But those who are freed also need a lot of help. The good news is that people are very good at overcoming adversity, and freed slaves often commit themselves to helping others avoid this terrible circumstance. One of the most effective methods is to inform agricultural communities of slaves what they can do to free themselves economically and physically from coercion and inherited debts. Governments need to attack the problem at the national level rather than keeping a blind eye as Japan does to sex slaves brought into the country through entertainer visas. Brazil is held as a positive example that could use some more funding. Professor Bales suggests that developed countries may want to subsidize anti-slavery efforts done by responsible governments in poorer nations. International organizations can also play a role in bringing attention and coordinating multinational efforts. Consumers can insist that those they buy products and services from investigate the sources of those offerings to be sure they are certified to be free of slave labor content (a particular problem for cocoa cultivation in Africa). If you believe that everyone should be free, you need to act on that belief by reading this book and picking something you can do to help free at least one slave. You can do it!
YES, THERE IS STILL SLAVERY IN THE WORLD
The title of this book really caught my eye: Hasn't slevery been abolished everywhere? Well, yes and no. Kevin Bales shows us in this book how slavery, while illegal in every part of the world, still exists. It exists in India, where small boys spend their days in dark huts breathing dust and tying knots all day until their fingers bleed so wealthier people can have "hand-made" carpets, it exists in Africa where hopeless people labor without pay in the cocoa fields so we can have chocolate bars, and it exists in Brazil where workers covered with scars and burns must literally walk on hot coals making charcoal used in the manufacturing of iron and steel. Reading about these cases is difficult, because it is obvious that slave-made good are in our communities and homes here in the US. How can this be? Kevin Bales makes a strong case that slavery really serves no purpose and continues to exist largely because of poverty and ignorance. Countries that have substantial slavery in their midst are not doing better economically than those that don't. Slavery contributes little to the world economy. And there is universal agreement among the countries of the world that slavery should not exist. So why is it still with us? The answer lies in the kind of poverty that is hard for those of us with adequate incomes to even imagine. When a village is so poor that parents cannot feed their children, they become prey to hustlers who promise to take their sons and daughters and give them work and training so they can support themselves. Instead, the children are taken to worksites where they are used like beasts of burden, forced to work for no pay and left to die if they become too weak or sick to go on. Ignorance plays a role too, as people with no education do not realize that such treatment is illegal. The book gives us real stories and real incidents to illustrate how slavery can still exist ... and how it can be stopped. In India, a group of fearless workers take action to free the children enslaved in the rug industry. The freed children are taken to an ashram where they are given food and education about their rights and their potential as human beings. The Indian government provides a payment of $450 to each of these children, and Bales tells us of a boy who returned to his village and used his money to buy a cow. Other children did the same, and just having these cows to produce milk that could be sold to create an income made a huge difference to the village. But maybe even more important than the cows was the knowledge these boys brought back: knowledge that unscrupulous people might still try to enslave village children and that this was illegal and the village should resist and understand their rights. The most suprising thing about the effort to end slavery is how complicated it can be. There is so much more involved than just getting every country to outlaw slavery. Because it is an international crime, there is no one authority that can be invoked to free slaves. Bales discusses how organizations at all levels can be involved and how much patience and research is needed to make a real difference. He offers many helpful suggestions in this book, which is well-written and well-organized. I highly recommend this book, which will surprise and shock readers, to anyone concerned with human rights (and that should be all of us!)
Mounds of passions Abundance of commitments
"You powerful ones are unconcerned about your slaves; because of your position you lose touch with your brothers." Mozart "In 1865 slaves were freed in the United States and dumped into the economy without access to credit, education or political participation...what was done virtually guaranteed their long-term second -class citizenship...just like the American emancipation of 1865 the abolition of slavery in Nepal in 2000 was botched" In the beginning the author did not believe there was a global problem with trafficking, however his own birds eye experience shown to him by the very people in the field, has convinced him that slave trafficking was, is and maybe always has been a problem. Unknowingly or knowingly the author has shown the modern anti-slave campaign that was started in England then on to the U.S., during the early centuries, while successful in those country's was ultimately, transferred to other geopolitical areas then hidden, protected or disguised as something else, then brought back at least to the U.S. Starting in 1926 the Slavery Convention sponsored by the League of Nations, England sought to protect slavery in their Colonies and the U. S. excluded forced labor for private purposes, to protect Southern states that were still practicing slavery. India currently has the largest amount of slaves, however the slavery system set up in Japan was surprising. Brazil has the best systems/laws/ in place to fight their country's trafficking. The author offers a variety of real manageable strategies for ending slavery including compensation for the groups that were wronged, psychological evaluations, health care, jail time and confiscation of property as remedies and deterrents. Including a viable plan to get the United Nations, World Trade Organization, UNICEF, International Criminal Court and World Bank more involved in the antislavery fight. What is needed now is long term support for those in the field who are actively engaged in the abolition of slaves.
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