The Global Sociology Blog

Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost – A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa seemed an appropriate book to bring with me to Africa. I don’t know why I hadn’t read it yet since issues of colonialism, neo-colonialism and slavery are never far from my thoughts.
Anyway, I am glad I did read [...]

Major chocolate companies still using child labour | April 2009 | New Internationalist via kwout

So, this video by Slavery International is still relevant, especially the segment on cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast and the connection between slavery and the imposition of structural adjustment policies by the IMF:

Also, visit the International Labor Rights Forum for [...]

Brothels cut prices to beat the recession – Europe, World – The Independent via kwout

Unsurprisingly, the articles mentions that high-class brothels are still doing pretty well. It is below on the social ladder that economic conditions are felt more harshly. The article also mentions that there may be an increase in supply: more women turning [...]

Duh…

IRIN Asia | Asia | Afghanistan | AFGHANISTAN: Child servitude, marriage resemble modern-day slavery | Children Early Warning Gender Issues Governance Human Rights | Feature via kwout

And because no story of slavery is complete without violence, sexual or other…

IRIN Asia | Asia | Afghanistan | AFGHANISTAN: Child servitude, marriage resemble modern-day slavery | Children Early [...]

As the year draws to a close, here is an issue that will still need fighting in 2009: slavery.

BBC NEWS | Africa | ‘Thousands made slaves’ in Darfur via kwout

I have to say that this is sadly not surprising. As anyone who has read Kevin Bales books on the subject knows, social disintegration and brutal [...]

December 2nd is the International Day Against Slavery at the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade (website ). As the date nears, the UN reminds us that there are still roughly 27 million slaves around the world:

Encore 27 millions d’esclaves dans le monde, Société – NouvelObs.com via [...]

The Futurist has a very interesting overview of the links between globalization and criminal networks (sorry, no link, but you can cough up $3 for a PDF version of the article, $5 for the whole issue… or you can go to your closest library and grab a paper copy) by Stephen Aguilar-Millan, Joan E. Foltz, [...]

Via the BBC,

BBC NEWS | UK | Catching up with the ‘internet pimps’ via kwout

This is the usual story of debt bondage that is still the main form of slavery today but also of desperate women and of men and women who take capitalism seriously and can sniff a profitable market when they see one:

BBC [...]

Score one for the good guys:

‘Sex slavery’ gang jailed in child prostitution case | World news | guardian.co.uk via kwout

14 years is great. These guys engage in slavery because it is a highly profitable business. Let’s make it costly, financially and personally (with heavy prison terms), increase the costs of the whole thing (since it [...]

It does not happen that often, so it is worth noticing when the good guys win!

BBC NEWS | Africa | Niger ex-slave wins landmark case via kwout

Let’s hope this sets a precedent that former slaves can obtain compensation in court and rebuild their lives. Unfortunately, Ms Mani’s story is both horrific and not unusual [...]

Things that suck
Another session, another !@#$ baby.
The universe turning against you:

Being delayed at Logan Airport long enough to see O-Force One (Change you can believe in!!) for the big birthday bash, apparently.
Sitting on the plane next to a woman (with young child!) wearing a pink "Obama Mama" shirt (that’ll teach me to upgrade to [...]

Here’s to people getting their comeuppance. Enslaving others is one of the most heinous crimes that I can think of. Via the BBC:

"A wealthy New York woman has been sentenced to 11 years in jail for keeping two Indonesian women as slaves. Varsha Mahender Sabhnani, 46, and her husband Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani, 51, kept them [...]

This is truly terrifying. I did not know this was still going on in the world and I do know a lot about the appalling treatment of women and children around the world:

"Child abduction, which is already a serious problem in Cote d’Ivoire, may worsen in the run up to presidential elections later this [...]

Slavery is illegal everywhere in the world but different states have implemented the current statutes with variable diligence. So, this time, one woman, an ex-slave, has decided to fight back (via the BBC):

“A former slave is suing Niger’s government, accusing it of failing to implement laws against slavery introduced in 2003. Hadijatou Mani took the [...]

IRIN has done a tremendous job reporting on the global nature of child trafficking… in general media indifference. First stop, Mozambique:
“A truck packed with 40 children was intercepted in the central Mozambican province of Manica this week, sparking concern over increased child trafficking and the urgent need for effective legislation to address the problem.”
These [...]