Modern Slavery: A Global Perspective
Siddharth Kara’s “Modern Slavery: A Global Perspective” (2017) allows readers to become acquainted with the various forms in which Modern Slavery takes place today in an accessible format
The thesis that guides the book is that “[t]he immensity and pervasiveness of slavery in the modern era is driven by the ability of exploiters to generate substantial profits at almost no real risk through the callous exploitation of a global subclass of humanity whose degradation is tacitly accepted by every participant in the economic system that consumes their suffering.”
Kara follows a supply and demand logic for understanding Modern Slavery and develops his central argument in brief chapters dedicated to sex trafficking, labor trafficking, organ trafficking, the relationship between technology and human trafficking, debt bondage, and global supply chains. Each of these is developed with a case study on a particular region and is peppered with personal anecdotes collected through Kara’s research for the book.
By conducting extensive fieldwork, Kara is able to include an appendix of data that supports some of his conclusions. For example, the data shows that some of the common characteristics shared by those that are in conditions of Modern Slavery include pervasive poverty, belonging to an ethnic minority, foreign migration, isolation, lack of education, a lack of access to formal credit markets, and the lack of a reasonable alternative. Although this may come as no surprise, the fact that it is backed by quantitative studies and extensive interviews may serve to guide policymakers and other organizations dedicated to eradicating the crime.
Throughout the chapters, other common denominators come to light. Deception and lies lie at the heart of labor trafficking for migrant farm workers in the US —working and living conditions are far below what is promised at the country of origin — , organ trafficking across the Global South— where people are told that selling a kidney will not substantially affect their lives and promised follow up care that never comes —, and the overall patterns of debt bondage present in construction, domestic work, or sex work by which people across the globe enter into working relationships where instead of being paid, they are “paying back” an agent or employer for housing, paperwork, transportation, etc. and seldom receive the wages they are owed. Additionally, the case studies reveal the challenges of training law enforcement personnel to overcome the tendency to prosecute migrant workers that are in a particular country undocumented instead of prosecuting those that are exploiting them.
The classic framework for addressing Modern Slavery in international regulation and in US law is the 4-P paradigm: prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships. Kara adds an additional “P” for progress in terms of the need for systematic evaluation and research in this field. In the three years since this book was published in 2017, there has been progress made in this regard. Other significant changes since the book was published touch on regulation and technological advancement. In 2018, the FOSTA-SESTA legislative package was signed into law, amending section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to remove the immunity of internet service providers if there is content or user activity that assists, facilitates, or supports sex trafficking. Although fraught with controversy, the idea is that this would allow for more effective prosecution of the crime.
In terms of technological advancement, huge strides have been made for leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to end Modern Slavery by identifying online advertisements that include minors, tracking financial transactions that could be related to trafficking, or improving survivor case management, among others. Additionally, the incipient use of blockchain that Kara mentions in 2017 has exploded with a growing number of actors such as Infinichains, Sourcemap, Everledger, or Diginex that are using ledger technologies to increase transparency in the hiring practices of migrants and improve traceability of commodities and other products. Despite this progress, the dual, conflicting role of technology as both an enable of the crime and a tool to fight against it remains to this day.
The book closes with a framework to eradicate Modern Slavery that is far-reaching and comprehensive, perhaps to the point of being detrimental. There are two main issues with the recommendations he brings forth.
First, some of the initiatives he recommends are so-far reaching that they are hard to measure and require a level of coordination and change that goes well beyond Modern Slavery. In other words, some of the measures that Kara proposes to address Modern Slavery go well beyond the scope of the crime and include the enabling environments that make it possible. Although contextual and systemic inequalities are at the heart of the vulnerabilities that feed the supply for Modern Slavery, I would argue that including the scaling of global anti-poverty programs or achieving universal primary education as measures designed to eradicate Modern Slavery dilute the problem and therefore decrease the potency of the actionable steps moving forward. Although I understand the importance of recognizing the systemic nature of the crime and the fundamental cracks in our current supply chain order, I do think that in an introductory book on Modern Slavery, recommendations on addressing enabling environments should be distinguished from those that are specific to curtailing the crime itself.
The problem is that in the recommendations that Kara gives for addressing the crime itself he advocates for an institutional overhaul that will not necessarily be an effective contribution to eradicating the problem. This is the second issue I have with the recommendations presented. By calling for the creation of International Slavery Courts or a Transnational Slavery Intervention Taskforce to “investigate areas suspicious of slavery, liberate victims, track down traffickers (…) and protect freed slaves” Kara is inflating an already enormous bureaucracy and adding more actors to an already crowded stage.
The strength of the initiatives suggested lies at the intersection between innovation and stronger implementation of what already exists. For example, he suggests a redesign of the process and governance or labor migration. This continues to be a pain point today. Nonetheless, significant strides have been made in paying back recruitment fees to migrant workers. He also calls for an increase in awareness of the crime. Ostensibly, the past few years have seen this process take place, as more countries enact human rights due diligence legislation or modern slavery disclosure requirements. The COVID-19 pandemic has also increased awareness, at least in some consumer segments, of the plight of workers that make the products they use every day, and the need for more effective protections that safeguard their livelihoods.
It is heartening to realize that some of his initiatives have already found a way forward. For example, he calls for a technology trust for innovation. This is exactly what organizations such as the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery are doing to scale innovative approaches that have the potential to effectively curtailing the crime.
Overall, the author’s success is in presenting a complex topic in a relatable way that stems from the vulnerability that Kara is willing to show when describing the impact that this research had on him. When describing his time preparing the global supply chains chapter, he states:
My research in Thailand pushed me to my breaking point several times, and it has had a lasting impact on my mind, heart, and health. I simply could not find the fortitude to return.
Although the way Modern Slavery is being addressed across the globe has changed in some significant ways since it was published in 2017, the book remains relevant. For those that are interested in gaining a first look and understanding of the variety of ways in which modern slavery appears in our supply chains, this is a good place to start.
