Bales, Kevin (2000). Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy. Berkley: University of California Press.
Kevin Bales, President of “Free the Slaves,” is considered the leading expert concerning trafficking and slavery in the world today. Bales is Emeritus Professor of Sociology in London at Roehampton University. He also serves on the board of Directors for the International Cocoa Initiative.
Disposable People, although seemingly dated, is filled with valuable information concerning current slavery and human trafficking issues. Bales presents cases from around the globe targeting some of the most significant places in the world notorious for slave trafficking. These places include Thailand, Mauritania, Brazil, Pakistan and India. There is mention of other nations and other issues related to trafficking, but by and large these nations have the highest incidence for trafficking in humans. Surrounding these national identities are case scenarios presented. Disposable People contains five case studies: sex slavery in Thailand; chattel slavery in Mauritania, with White Moor masters and Black slaves; charcoal-makers on the frontier in Brazil; brick-makers held in debt-bondage in Pakistan, through fraud and dishonest accounting; and farmers in debt-bondage in India. In each case Bales presents the personal stories of a few individuals, analyses the economic and political causes of their slavery, and sketches its broader social and historical contexts.
The author lists some practical counsel on how to combat this world-wide issue. One way is through economic connection in which Bales suggests ordinary people in the developed world to put pressure on their financial investments in pensions and mutual funds where investments include connections to such practices. Another is political action, economic sanctions or to pressuring governments to enforce anti-slavery legislation.
Ending slavery and human trafficking is no easy task: it is certainly more complex than simply making a proclamation or announcement. Bales explains that "being free means more than just walking away from bondage" (253); to protect freed slaves from starvation or re-enslavement, it is essential to provide education, training, and psychological support to enable them "to find their own way into true freedom" (253).
I certainly appreciated Bales and his clear and candid glimpses of the pains and horrors of modern slavery. It was disturbing to read some of the case scenarios and even more alarming that it seems so little is being accomplished.
I also appreciated the concluding “Coda” that lists some simple actions steps which people can do now, myself included. These were to ask tough questions of charities and missionaries, politicians and governmental agencies. We can also add the confronting of products produced in places where slave labor is engaged, watching closely for those products not produced in such a manner..
It seems overwhelming to consider all the horrors of human trafficking and slave laboring – let alone the pain of sex trafficking among women and children. The disgust of these atrocities is almost more than I can bear. Will economic pressures work? It almost seems impossible, yet if people are educated and provided the understanding, perhaps together impact could be made to eliminate the stain of slavery.
Kevin Bales, President of “Free the Slaves,” is considered the leading expert concerning trafficking and slavery in the world today. Bales is Emeritus Professor of Sociology in London at Roehampton University. He also serves on the board of Directors for the International Cocoa Initiative.
Disposable People, although seemingly dated, is filled with valuable information concerning current slavery and human trafficking issues. Bales presents cases from around the globe targeting some of the most significant places in the world notorious for slave trafficking. These places include Thailand, Mauritania, Brazil, Pakistan and India. There is mention of other nations and other issues related to trafficking, but by and large these nations have the highest incidence for trafficking in humans. Surrounding these national identities are case scenarios presented. Disposable People contains five case studies: sex slavery in Thailand; chattel slavery in Mauritania, with White Moor masters and Black slaves; charcoal-makers on the frontier in Brazil; brick-makers held in debt-bondage in Pakistan, through fraud and dishonest accounting; and farmers in debt-bondage in India. In each case Bales presents the personal stories of a few individuals, analyses the economic and political causes of their slavery, and sketches its broader social and historical contexts.
The author lists some practical counsel on how to combat this world-wide issue. One way is through economic connection in which Bales suggests ordinary people in the developed world to put pressure on their financial investments in pensions and mutual funds where investments include connections to such practices. Another is political action, economic sanctions or to pressuring governments to enforce anti-slavery legislation.
Ending slavery and human trafficking is no easy task: it is certainly more complex than simply making a proclamation or announcement. Bales explains that "being free means more than just walking away from bondage" (253); to protect freed slaves from starvation or re-enslavement, it is essential to provide education, training, and psychological support to enable them "to find their own way into true freedom" (253).
I certainly appreciated Bales and his clear and candid glimpses of the pains and horrors of modern slavery. It was disturbing to read some of the case scenarios and even more alarming that it seems so little is being accomplished.
I also appreciated the concluding “Coda” that lists some simple actions steps which people can do now, myself included. These were to ask tough questions of charities and missionaries, politicians and governmental agencies. We can also add the confronting of products produced in places where slave labor is engaged, watching closely for those products not produced in such a manner..
It seems overwhelming to consider all the horrors of human trafficking and slave laboring – let alone the pain of sex trafficking among women and children. The disgust of these atrocities is almost more than I can bear. Will economic pressures work? It almost seems impossible, yet if people are educated and provided the understanding, perhaps together impact could be made to eliminate the stain of slavery.
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