Slavery in the 21st century
African migrants are being sold as slaves in Libya. How can slavery exist in the modern world?
When African and European leaders met in Abidjan last week, slavery came high on the agenda. The practice of slavery, announced Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, “belongs to another age”. Yet, substantial evidence has emerged that slave auction markets are operating in Libya. Migrants in pursuit of a new life in Europe are entrapped, exploited and enslaved, sold to the highest bidder.
The transatlantic slave trade was officially abolished in 1888. However, in 2016 it was estimated that 40.3 million people were enslaved at any given time. A recent study showed that migrants tend to be most vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation.
Situated across from Europe on the Mediterranean Sea, Libya has in recent years served as a gateway for many migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. However, as one of the few countries not bound by the 1951 Refugee Convention, “Libya’s legal framework is wholly inadequate and unable to deal with the current situation”, Thomas Ebbs, deputy director of Lawyers for Justice in Libya, told The World Weekly.
European leaders have faced increasing internal pressure to curb the arrivals of economic migrants and refugees amidst a rise in right-wing nationalist parties and growing fears of terrorism.
“Rather than seek to help refugees and migrants within Europe,” says Rhiannon Smith, managing director of the consultancy Libya-Analysis, “[the EU] closed its borders and effectively attempted to push the problem back towards Libya and Africa.”
As a result, more and more migrants have found themselves stranded in Libya where they run the risk of exploitation, abuse and enslavement.
Read the full article on The World Weekly