Slavery excuses

It is remarkable that the Dutch government makes excuses for slavery in the past, but does little to prevent slavery in the present.Slavery is a form of forced labour or is treated as such and therefore has no or is unable to exercise any rights.

This is the face of slavery in the twenty-first century. Research by, among others, the International Workers Organization learns that today, nearly 50 million children, women and men are trapped in modern slavery.

Sixteen hours a day, Chandramma was forced to work in a silk factory in South Asia until her hands were completely cramped and bloodied. She made an escape attempt, but it failed. Before punishment, she was imprisoned for six months in a small, dark cell, with her four-year-old son Hermanth beside her. Every day, she had to make impossible decisions for her child. Did she have to use their two-liter water ration to prevent dehydration, or did she have to bathe her son to prevent painful rashes and furuncles? She said: 'I was so desperate that I thought about ending my life.' Source: Nederlands Dagblad

In 2021, 496 million people were living in modern slavery, including 276 million forced labour and 22 million forced marriages.
Of the 276 million people who engage in forced labour, 173 million are exploited in the private sector;
63 million in forced commercial sexual exploitation and 39 million in state-imposed forced labor. Women and girls account for 49 million people who suffer forced commercial sexual exploitation and 6 million who engage in forced labor in other economic sectors.
12% of all forced labourers are children. More than half of these children are being sexually exploited commercially. The Asia-Pacific region has the highest number of forced labour (151 million) and Arab states have the highest prevalence (53 per thousand people).
Addressing decent work shortages in the informal economy, as part of broader economic formalization efforts, is a priority for progress against forced labor.
Source: Source: International Workers Organization/Slavery

Modern slavery in Peru
Many people think that slavery in gold mines is something that occurred during the conquistadors or colonial rule in Africa. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. In some regions of the world, forced labour is still the practice. The gold industry is a very sensitive sector for this.

Clothing brand Patagonia does not appear to be sustainable after all Sustainable clothing brand Patagonia produces textile workers exploited in the same factories as fast-fashion.