Ireland has a long and complex history with slavery, which continues today. Our patron saint was a slave. And we’re not unusual. It’s hard to think of a country or society that hasn’t been touched by slavery, be it victim or perpetrator or both, yet we continue to talk about slavery in abstract and historical terms. When one thinks of the term “slave” or “slavery”, al- most immediately the African-American legacy of slavery is evoked. That terribly recent narrative has not been dealt with properly. The inequalities African-Americans face in the US are shameful. Their statues commemorating people who fought for freedom are far too small. Modern slavery is complicated, as demonstrated by the unfolding story of three women rescued from a house in London. There are 30 million slaves in the world. They include those in forced marriages, bonded labour, forced prostitution and domestic slavery, as well as child soldiers and migrant workers forced into servitude, debt bondage and so on. Slav- ery can be a physically enforced horror or the psychological trauma inflicted on a person until they believe they have no choice but to remain in captivity.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 09:27:29 +0000
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