Running head: A WORLD ENSLAVED REVIEW

A Review of A World Enslaved by E. Benjamin Skinner

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A WORLD ENSLAVED ARTICLE REVIEW

Article Summary
Modern slavery, otherwise known as contemporary enslavement, is an institution of
bondage that continues to exist in the current world despite a widespread delusion that slavery
ended in the 19th century. A World Enslaved, by Benjamin Skinner is an insightful
investigation into the concept of modern day enslavement. It reveals how this evil continues to
thrive in our society despite popular assumptions that it died several years ago, and that its only
manifestation in the present world is in terms of low paying jobs, or in high-paying jobs that
leaves individuals with close to no social life. A warped imagination that Skinner considers to be
just too ignorant for a vice thriving right under our noses, and in its most virulent forms.
In Haiti, just a few hours from the United States, human beings are sold for as low as fifty
dollars. This price, according to Skinner, is even lower than what the slave dealers of the
medieval age asked for their goods.' The situation becomes even more severe when he discovers
that these young boys and girls are often enticed from their poor families with hopes of education
and better lives, only to be traded as domestic and sex workers. In a shocking conversation with
one of the human traffickers, Skinner reveals how millions of impoverished children from
underdeveloped nations find their way into European countries with faked adoption papers just
to be only to be condemned to a life of servitude and sexual molestation.
For some like Gonoo Lal Kol, a male Indian quarry miner, freedom is just but another
foreign term, too strange for his miserable life. Since his childhood, he has worked without pay
tirelessly with his family, save for a meager meal, alcohol and bare subsistence stipends he
occasionally receives from his master. He is a born slave, and for the past two generation himself
and fathers before him, have worked their backs off in the mines to repay their fore fathers debt
of 62 cents, an amount which have accrued in interest over the years enough to a few more of his

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generations. Yet, Kol is just one in thousands of other forced laborers attempting to settle debts,
most of which they have not the slightest idea how or when they were negotiated. This revolting
practice continues to thrive in South Asia despite such debt bondage lacking any legal standing
in these countries, mostly due to the high illiteracy levels associated with its victims.
All hope is not however lost, according to Skinner, many grass-root organizations and
non-profit organization have sprung up in partnership with the international communities and
governments to combat this situation. Pragati Gramodyog Sansthan (PGS), an organization in
Uttar Pradesh, Southern India, is one such initiative that is famous for its unrelenting efforts at
freeing and educating bondage slaves to become better persons in the society. Elsewhere,
governments in the developed economies are also cracking whips on human trafficker, slavetrading pimps, and foreign labor contractors. These collective efforts aim at curtailing this
menace, but he observes that more has to be done, especially considering that contemporary
slavery continues to soar.
Critique
No one could have illustrated the concept of modern slavery any better than the award
winning journalist, E. Benjamin Skinner. In a calm and supported language, Skinner draws the
worlds attention to a vice we have learned not to see. For a time, the present generation has
prided itself as more civilized and self-aware, relegating issues such a slavery and child
trafficking as practices of the old and primitive generations of the past. This notion is entirely
ignorant and misleading, at least according to Skinner, who maintains that there are presently
more slaves on the planet than any other time in history slave-dealing. He goes ahead to justify
his claim in clear and professionally computed statistics that indicates that in Haiti alone, the

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number of its children in bondage stands at 300,000. Such illustration of his theoretical claims
using factual evidence gives his research a more credible tinge.
It is no surprise at all that modern slavery is slowly taking over our socio-economic
landscape. Many corporations, even in the United States, which claims to be leading the fight
against slavery, continues to employ lowly paid illegal immigrants from Latin America and other
underdeveloped regions. These laborers are usually held in bondage with agencies that act as
smugglers of human labor into developed countries and, therefore, often expects monthly
remittance as prices for their services. Further, Skinner reproaches the United Nation for its
passive war against this present vice despite it being one of the organizations founding
principles. This admonition appears to be ethically justified by the fact that the current UN
agenda is dominated by parochial items and power sideshows when a vice of this gravity is
getting close to no attention.
Skinner urges the state governments to redefine slavery in concise terms and employ
aggressive legislations against its perpetrators if they are to succeed in the war against this social
evil. Slavery exists in varied form and at different levels, occasionally involving fraud or armtwisting of individuals into doing inhumane work in hush conditions for little or no pay.
Legitimate business also continues to thrive on such labor and yet governments and legal bodies
continues just to spectate, arms-crossed, simply because legal statutes are not specific enough to
warrant the prosecution of these wrongdoers. For instance, in the early millennium, the United
States under the stewardship of President George W. Bush, the US Justice Department
heightened its prosecution for the human traffickers, yet at this same period, it only managed to
liberate a handful of its modern slaves.

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Additionally, the author believes that the developed worlds fight against contemporary
servitude has been marred by their twisted understanding of the concept of slavery. Some have
shifted their focus to sex trade with a misconstrued belief that it is the primary driver of
enslavement presently, while others such as Germany, believing it to be an act of free will have
decriminalized it. Much as it is true that sex trade is disgusting, it should not cloud our
perception of the real problem. Men, women and children are continually being forced to work in
plantations as laborers or in households as servants, without much resistance. This is especially
true since recent feeble efforts in locking up trafficker and sex pimps have done little in curbing
the aggregate rates of human bondage.
The United States have already gained significant strides in the fight against modern
slavery as per this article, yet lasting solutions can only be met by instituting preventive
measures in the at-risk source countries. Skinner recommends more pressure from the US
government to countries in which this evil continues to exist such as India and also push the UN
towards this fight. Declaring this iniquity an international crisis and intensifying campaigns
against modern enslavement will surely go a long way in making the present world a better place
for every man or woman whose life is torn apart by slavery.
It is a commendable work Skinner does in highlighting how slavery continues to thrive
right in our quarters. Though, I find it difficult understanding how he manages to visit all this
places of extreme human right violation, and just walk away without making any real efforts at
effecting change. Could it be that Skinners motive is not-all-selfless like he wants us to believe
and is only doing his job as a journalist to earn a living? He is, however, quick to defend this
indignation by suggesting that he hoped his research would do a better job at saving more
victims than what he personally could. So, until then, according to his suggestion, more people

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were just supposed to suffer from this barbaric practice and its perpetrator to just continue
handling their business without reprimand. Nonetheless, I agree with his observation that until
governments give proper definition to the idea of slavery, aggressively fight it in all its forms and
empower slave abolition groups, enslavement will continue, and our rhetoric about its abolition
will continue to mean nothing.
Conclusion
Slavery is an idea of the past and to make it our present preoccupation is an extremely
retrogressive and backward occurrence. It is, for this reason, we should all come out to fight it
with all vehemence and resources available. Understanding the gravity of this present time
menace and creating the necessary awareness is the right step towards fighting this vice. This
article promotes the idea of a free and fair world where every child will have an equal
opportunity to a decent life, education, and healthcare. I recommend this article to every liberal
minded persons who cares about humanity.

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References
Skinner, E. B. (2008). A world enslaved. Foreign Policy, (165), 62.