over the cliff, onto the rocks.: Slavery and human trafficking

Monday, January 28, 2008

Slavery and human trafficking

Right here in the US.

Whole economies in rural areas of the country are built on the imprisonment of other human beings. Families are building their dreams of home ownership and sending their kids to college on their decent-paying jobs as prison wardens. Communities get much-needed free labor for civic and charity functions, labor that they could otherwise never afford, from imprisoned workers.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...: We must end the prison-industrial complex.; Monday, January 28, 2008 1:08:00 AM
Unknown said...: UN.GIFT website www.ungift.org aims to be an extension of UN GIFT activities worldwide. We would like it to evolve into a vibrant online community where people exchange views, showcase their work, talk about their experiences and strengthen the fight against human trafficking. With your help we can make it a valuable resource and a tool to take this fight forward. The organized crime of human trafficking needs a fitting organized response.

United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) was formally launched in London on 26 March 2007. It is designed to have a long-term impact to create a turning point in the worldwide fight against human trafficking. 27million people are trafficked each year. UN.GIFT intends to take action against human trafficking in all its manifestations – commercial sexual exploitation, bonded labour, organ trade, camel jockeying, forced marriages, domestic labour, illegal adoption, and other exploitative work – through creating partnerships at a global level with all sectors of society.

The ultimate goal of the Global Initiative is to contribute to ending human trafficking– estimated to have a total market value of about $32 billion worldwide. UNODC has a two-pronged strategy for achieving this goal – increasing public awareness of the problem and coordinating existing but disparate efforts by international and national groups, governments and non-governmental organizations and by concerned individuals to end the practice.

Numerous regional GIFT events will culminate in Vienna with a Global Forum against Human Trafficking from 13th to 15th Feb 2008.

The objective of The Vienna Forum is to raise awareness, facilitate cooperation and partnerships among the various stakeholders. It will bring together representatives from Member States, UN system organizations, other regional and international organizations, the business community, academia, non-governmental organizations and other elements of civil society. The Forum will allow for an open environment to enable all parties involved to take concrete steps to fight human trafficking, within their spheres of action.

The Forum will be a catalyst for solution-seeking ideas and address three overriding themes on human trafficking: 1.Vulnerability: why does human trafficking happen;
2. Impact: human and social consequences of human trafficking;
3. Action: innovative approaches to solving complex problems.
· It is time to join forces to prevent human trafficking.
· Give this global problem a global solution.
· Rally under the banner of the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking.
· Get involved!
· Together we can save people and put traffickers behind bars.

Tushar; Monday, January 28, 2008 2:35:00 AM
Anonymous said...: i've been struck for a long time at by the size of our judicial-industrial complex.

more than half of our prisons' populations are NON-violent. ... just recently, here in missoula, a man was "sentenced" to 7 years probation for knifing a man. KNIFING someone...and he's running loose on our streets, while pot-smokers and check-kiters languish in the MSP. fucking amazing.

of course, there's lots to be said for keeping violent criminals OUT of jail. lotsa money to be made...lawyers, cops, judges...arresting and processing the same criminals over and over again...cuz we KNOW that the incidence of recidivism is much higher in violent populations than in petty ones...

but think...locks, alarms...bars, bullet-proof glass, armor...extra-lighting...all sold to protect us from the criminals our government shrugs at...cuz they'd much rather fill the prisons with anyone black, hispanic, and native american, no matter what their crime...our government is using the prison system the way the nazis used concentration camps...

but hey. everyone wins as long as they're making money from it, ey?

architects who build less penetrable buildings...and prisons, too.

the textile industry...fashioning better, brighter prison garb, not to mention security guards', prison guards', bailiffs', and policeofficers' uniforms, (and judges' robes).

and what of the money made by psychiatrists and other medical professionals treating the victims of violent crimes? oh yeah, baby.

a what a plus...with the ever-increasing threat of violence, citizens are more willing to hand over more tax dollars to the system...right along with their consititutional rights.

i've always believed that violent criminals should be put away, period. ...for a VERRRRY long time...second offense...forever. life. all violent crimes are evil. rape, beatings, knifings..whatever...and it shouldn't matter who the victim is. why is it that hitting a cop puts a man in prison for 20 years, but hitting a child or a wife gets him a few months?

violent people are toxic, and they infect the community. it is they who should be locked up. not druggies or shoplifters...geeez.

can you imagine our culture if we could actually raise an entire generation of children who hadn't been beaten by teachers, parents, or cops? children who could witness a judicial system that protected them...that said 'you are every bit as valued as our policemen?'

i'm rambling...but oh well.; Monday, January 28, 2008 10:23:00 AM
hipparchia said...: cat,

rambling is good. i'm definitely going to cogitate on your thoughts here, and probably incorporate some of it into later posts.

can you imagine our culture if we could actually raise an entire generation of children who hadn't been beaten by teachers, parents, or cops?

yes, i can imagine it, and i'd like to see it happen [utopian of me, i know]. that's how my parents raised us kids and it was a shock to me when i went out into the real world later and found out how many people don't get to grow up like that.

well... yanno... it's safer --and easier-- for the employees if they only have to deal with non-violent prisoners.; Monday, January 28, 2008 10:03:00 PM
hipparchia said...: michael: yes. most definitely yes.; Monday, January 28, 2008 10:10:00 PM