What is modern day slavery?

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, human trafficking is defined as 'an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them'. Slavery is closely related human trafficking- it is an act of "physical abduction" followed by forced labor. The similarities that they share is that both violates our basic human rights as it deprives us of our right to life and liberty. Believe it or not, human trafficking is a very profitable industry- it brings in total annual revenue of between USD$5 billion and $9 billion. Estimates show that the number of human being trafficked around the world is staggering: approximately 2.5 million people worlwide.

Human trafficking and slavery normally occur in poor countries, where the people are desperate due to harsh living conditions. The high level of poverty means that they are extremely vulnerable and would do anything just to keep themselves alive. This is where human traffickers enter the picture. The most common question asked by them is 'Want a job?'. Poor living conditions leaves the people with no choice but to nod their heads. Only after they arrive at their supposed 'destination' that they realize that they have been enslaved. The worse part is that there is no way out; they are literally caged and under threats of violence if they try to escape. Victims of trafficking are normally coerced, forced, deceived or even abducted into the industry.

As the human trafficking industry can generate lucrative income for the traffickers, the industry has grown rapidly in our modern society. Victims of human trafficking are often forced to become beggars, prostitutes, farm laborers and hard laborers. They beg in streets. They offer sex for money in return. They labor in fields under cruel treatment from their employers. They work for countless hours in quarries without being paid. And the worst part of it- children are also caught in the middle of this despicable industry. Not even children are spared from what many regard as an inhumane industry. Children, like adult men and women, are forced into hard labor and even in the sex trade.

On a global level, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime creates law and supports anti-trafficking strategies in order to combat this global pandemic. The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children adopted by the United Nations in 2000 is clear recognition of worldwide abolition of the trafficking industry. More than 110 countries have ratified the Protocol, showing growing efforts in stopping the trade. Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a fundamental human rights guideline, highlights that "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms ".

On a regional level, the African Union, Council of Europe and Organization of American States have similar treaties and laws that agree on the fact that no one should be subjected to slavery and cruel treatment that comes along with it. Non-governmental organizations, namely Anti-Slavery International and Amnesty International, also share a common goal in raising awareness on prohibiting the human trafficking industry.

The Malaysian Government was placed in Tier 3 in the 2007 U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report for not fully complying with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and not making significant efforts to do so.  Due to corruption, there were reports of government officials involved in human trafficking but none were detained.

In an effort to put a stop to the trade, the Malaysian House of Representatives have passed an Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act in May 2007, where the convicted can face sentences up to 20 years in prison, fines and a whipping. In order to protect children against trafficking, the Child Act was introduced. Government has also implemented the Immigration Act and the restricted Resident Act to arrest traffickers. If convicted, the penalties are 15 years in prison, caning and fines.