It seems to many like this might be a subject to have been discussed 150 years ago, but (according to the Not For Sale Campaign site) there are 27 million people in slavery today in 2007. This is pretty depressing stuff, but the reason I bring it up here is to highlight things that can be done to reverse this awful fact.
So what can you and I do? Well, I don't know. The site listed above indicates that we can donate money, read books, and create art to raise awareness. All of this is wonderful stuff. But assuming that we're both very aware and willing to talk to others about it, I want to know what we can actively do right now to ease suffering and end slavery for at least a few people (if not a whole lot more).
My commitment is to keep learning what we can do and bring that information to this blog. What I would ask from anyone reading is to let me know what you know about this subject and what you find out can be done to help make a real difference.
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2 comments:
Hi TC,
I have an answer to your question about what you can do RIGHT NOW.
Dave got his 27 million number from my book Disposable People. This week I am publishing a book titled Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves. That book gives the long answer to your question (check it out on Amazon).
The short answer is this - after five years of research to determine how to best bring an end to slavery and also answer your question, I can tell you that the MOST effective thing a person in a rich country can do to end slavery is to make sure that the anti-slavery workers in the developing countries get paid every month. The reality is that while we have anti-slavery workers who are bringing hundreds of people out of slavery every month, we can only guarantee their salaries two or three months ahead. So, it is not about sending a lot of money to a group that frees slaves, it is about sending a little money every month till we get the job done. We all need to know we can rely on our salaries, these anti-slavery workers need that even more so, because they have famiies that they are helping to build new lives and that takes time. If you want to know more visit www.freetheslaves.net.
All best,
Kevin Bales
Thanks for the info. I'll drop by a local bookstore and check out your new book. And I'll keep looking into the resources you've pointed out to see what can be done.
I've also found another resource I'll be reviewing: CIW Online which is an organization dedicated to fighting slavery among migrant workers (and others) in the US and Central America.
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