Slavery has been around since the dawn of civilization, and it still exists - here’s why.

This week on the podcast, I’m going to be sharing about the unseen world around us named human trafficking, or in some cases more accurately - modern day slavery—as part of my participation in the month-long fashion challenge Dressember.

Dressember is a social campaign to raise awareness and funds for anti-human trafficking efforts. If after listening to this episode, or before, you feel a call to donate to support the fifteen organizations that have partnered with Dressember, please do so via the links to my campaign page found in the episode show notes and on my Instagram account.

This year, I have a goal of raising $1000 for Dressember and its partner organizations to support programs that aid in the prevention of trafficking, as well as the rescue of victims and the holistic aftercare programs for survivors of trafficking.

Today, I want to give you a quick history of slavery on planet Earth across time and space.

But, before we get going, I want to make a few notes about the show today:

1) that any scenarios or situations given throughout this episode are hypothetical, unless otherwise stated.

2) I will be uploading a transcription of the episode on my website alifemoreconscious dot com soon after each episode is released where I will be linking to all resources used and referenced in the episode.

And 3) in the episode, we will be discussing some difficult topics involving forced labor and commercial sex operations-I am not going into detail on these topics in this episode, but may in future episodes. So please learn with caution and push your comfort zone, but don’t jump out of it. Feel free to stop listening to the episode or reading the blog posts at anytime and don’t feel bad about it. By showing up for this opportunity, you have already opened your mind to the issue—this is simply an opportunity to learn more about human trafficking.

Now that that’s said, let’s get on with the show.

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Dressember exists because human trafficking is an issue. But not because it's a new issue that we need to stop before it gets bad, but because it's a horrible issue that has destroyed millions of lives in the many years since its origination.

And I'm sure some of you are wondering, so why haven't I heard about it before? Doesn't that mean it must be new?

No, just because it wasn't seen doesn't mean it's new. It does mean we need to change that because trafficking is one of the oldest social ills of civilization.

Perhaps calling it by its second name might make the situation more clear - human trafficking is modern-day slavery.

Don't believe me? Listen to these definitions.

Here's a summary of slavery: Slavery is the condition in which one human being was owned by another. A slave was considered by law as property and was deprived of most rights ordinarily held by free persons. The relationship between slave and master was determined by power - the slave had none (or very little), and the master has all. The three main forms of slavery were domestic slavery, state-enforced slavery, and productive slavery. Each of these involved the slave being forced to perform work by an individual or structure with power that treated them as a piece of property and restricted their rights as human beings.

And the general definition of human trafficking - which I defined in yesterday's episode? A situation when "a trafficker's action taken through the means of force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of exploitation."

The individual victims of trafficking are forced to work or perform an action by someone or an institution that has power over them and who can restrict many of their rights and freedoms.

I think they sound pretty similar, how about you?

Like I said, slavery is one of the oldest social ills in existence - it has been around since the dawn of civilization.

In any structure in which an individual could have power greater than another individual could and would lead to slavery.

The earliest records of slavery comes from the Code of Hammurabi in Mesopotamia. The same code of laws that stated an eye for an eye and a hand for a hand.

But the structure of slavery existed long before then. Hammurabi reigned over the kingdom of Babylon from 1792 to 1750 B.C. But the earliest societies of Mesopotamia - Sumer specifically is considered to be the birthplace of slavery from which it later spread as the society became dependent on the stratified power structure that supported the practice.

Slaves in Sumer could come from many places - debt slaves - people who were unable to pay off their debts, voluntary entry, birth into a slave family, and capture in war. Many of the slaves came from within their own society.

Slaves would be matched and distributed to masters based on their skills and where they could best be used.

The institution of slavery became ingrained in the structure of society as the slaves became a primary source of labor used to bolster and grow the empire.

Nowadays, slavery is both very similar and very different. It is both highly visible and invisible at the same time - and still considered very important in the structure and growth of societies globally.

Today, slaves are used for all of the same purposes - domestic (in the home) work and as a labor force by governments and specific industries, including the commercial sex, clothing, and food industries. It is the cheapest way to get a labor force to do a job.

Today's slaves can enter the institution by force or supposed voluntary entry.

Some forms of trafficking are considered to be more like slavery than others, as some victims have basic rights and can be paid and supported within the institution. However, every form of trafficking involved the same elements as situations involved in ancient forms of slavery - all trafficking victims are forced to work or perform an action by someone or an institution that has power over them and who can restrict many of their rights and freedoms. Even when the victim is being paid and could theoretically leave the situation.

Modern-day slavery is thought to involve 40.3 million victims across the entire planet with about 80 percent of them performing acts of forced labor. 25 percent of the population is thought to be children and 75 percent of the entire estimate are women and girls.

Slavery has been an institution in all societies that have existed on planet Earth. And even when the societies attempted to abolish the institution, it still stuck around. Slavery was theoretically abolished in the US by the 13th amendment in 1865. But we know it still exists.

Domestic and productive slavery both exist - some of their forms are sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage, domestic servitude, begging rings, child marriage, and forced military service.

And just as in ancient times private, public, and government institutions of slavery all exist. Forced labor of prison inmates is often considered a form of slavery.

Some slaves are paid for their work, some are given homes, but many are deprived of rights and true freedom at the same time.

Those individuals who work in sweatshops around the world could theoretically leave their situation, but they would leave the relative safety that they have by keeping their job. They could be blacklisted among factories and would be unable to find work elsewhere - as well, there could be no other options available to them. This lack of security outside of the job gives the factory operators power over the workers because of what could happen if the workers leave.

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And that is our quick history of slavery on planet Earth. In short, human trafficking is modern-slavery that closely mirrors the forms of slavery found in many societies and civilizations across the planet and across time.

In tomorrow’s episode of the Dressember series, we’ll be diving into some of major forms of trafficking today.

And though it will take decades - we will end slavery - that’s what our movement is all about - but before we can end, we must learn and start to take action.

Today is Giving Tuesday - if you’re listening this today, I would love it if you would help support the campaign by donating just a few dollars toward my target goal.

If it’s no longer Giving Tuesday? Please, still donate, we need all the support, all the time. You’ve come here to learn, now donate there to act.

To access any and all resources used for this show for definitions, facts, and/or other information see the citations in the episode blog post found on ALifeMoreConscious dot com. And you can see the latest posts via the link in the show notes or the links in my Instagram bio.

And lastly, check back on tomorrow December fourth when I will be diving into each of the most common forms of human trafficking that we interact with every day.

Love y’all and hope this episode helps make your life a little more conscious.

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Resources used:

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• Polaris Project
  
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  • The Facts | Polaris
    
  
  
  
• Free the Slaves
  
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  • Slavery in History « Free the Slaves
    
  
  
  
• Anti-Slavery International
  
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  • What is modern slavery? - Anti-Slavery International
    
  
  
  
• Other
  
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  • slavery | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica
    
  • Code of Hammurabi - HISTORY
    
  • Slavery | Ancient Mesopotamian Warfare