When did Britain abolish slavery?

March 25th is the 200th anniversary of Britain's abolition of the slave trade. The British government is actively preparing commemorative activities to give people a chance to feel "ashamed" of this history and "learn from the past". However, slavery has not become a "past" in Britain. On February 26th, Hull University and Anti-Slavery International published a 79-page report entitled Contemporary Slavery in Britain, revealing that there are still a large number of "hidden slaves" in Britain today. These people are controlled by criminal gangs and traffickers and forced to work like slaves.

Xinmin Weekly interviewed Professor Gary Craig, the first author of the report and the wilberforce Institute of Slavery and Liberation at the University of Hull, England. Craig said that in the era of globalization, slavery is everywhere. "In fact, considering the transportation and management costs, it is cheaper to buy a slave now than it was 200 years ago."

Non-fading system

Modern people's impression of slavery mostly stays centuries ago. Marx once said, "When we turn our eyes from the hometown of bourgeois civilization to the colony, the extreme hypocrisy and barbarism of bourgeois civilization are naked in front of us." It was an era when western colonialism invaded and plundered the African people. With the continuous development of capitalist economy, the slave trade gradually lost its continued value, because industrial capital was in urgent need of huge freely hired labor and broad foreign markets.

As an old capitalist country, Britain is the first big country in the world to ban the slave trade. 1787, Britain established the Abolition of the African Slave Trade Association, also known as the London Association, led by glanville Sharp, a famous British social activist who has been engaged in the abolitionist movement for many years. Since then, the abolitionist movement has been organized and systematized.

From 65438 to 0807, British parliamentarian william wilberforce led the anti-slavery movement, which led to the abortion of the Slave Trade Act. "But slavery continues." Craig told Xinmin Weekly that the British government passed the slavery abortion bill on 1833, but it still didn't completely end the dirty system. In other words, for 200 years, slavery lived in not fade away, England.

"There are slaves in Britain today ... but these slaves are' hidden'." Aidan McQuade, the head of the international anti-slavery organization, reconfirmed this "little-known" fact the day after the report was published.

Professor Craig told this reporter that many people still don't know the existence of slavery because many attributes of slavery have changed in the past 150 years. "Especially in the past 20 years, the globalization of the market and the cross-border work of various talents have brought about major changes in the slave market."

In contemporary slavery in Britain, "contemporary slavery" includes hereditary slaves (such as Mali and Mauritania in Africa), laborers without personal freedom (forced laborers), serfs, people controlled by debts (employers are also creditors, which makes it difficult for debtors to obtain freedom, which is more serious in South Asia), sex slaves (forced prostitutes), child laborers and people forced to join armed conflicts. Contemporary slavery is embodied in three aspects: serious economic exploitation, lack of human rights and illegal control.

In Britain, "slaves" are mainly forced labor, people controlled by debts, sex slaves and child laborers. McQuade said that these people are forced or deceived to work with little or no income, and "employers" usually control them through mental or physical abuse or threats.

Contemporary British slavery thinks the last point is very important, because many "employers" do not really commit violence, but only take a form of intimidation, such as confiscating the identity documents of "slaves", but this is enough to play a controlling role.

Modern slaves are "worse than animals"

In recent years, the most famous "slave" incident in Britain is the shell-picking tragedy at Mokamm Bay Beach. In February 2004, 2 1 China people drowned while collecting shells at Morcom Bay Beach in Lancashire, northwest England, and 2 people were missing. The victims are illegal immigrants, and their living and working conditions are very bad. In March 2006, two China principals were convicted and the court ruled that they should be repatriated. In Contemporary Slavery in England, both McQuade and Professor Craig mentioned this case. Because of this incident, the British government established the "Gangster Boss Licensing Authority" on April 1 2005. "But this organization doesn't have enough information to deal with this problem." Professor Craig told reporters that at present, there are about 654.38+00000 employers registered in this institution. Although most of them operate legally, the "employer licensing agency" can't play a good role in supervising the "offenders".

Contemporary slavery in Britain provides many cases, some of which occurred after the establishment of the "employer licensing agency". Considering the safety of these people, the report did not provide their real names.

On May 1 2004, 30 Poles started to work in Exeter, southwest England. They don't know English, and they don't know their salary or the name of their boss. Their job is to package chicken in the factory and transport the products to supermarkets in neighboring cities. In fact, they are not directly employed by this food processing factory, but through a series of intermediaries.

While in Poland, these people only knew that they would work near Southampton. The intermediary company promises a minimum wage of 4.5 pounds per hour (about 67.5 yuan) and only pays 25 pounds per week for room and board (about 375 yuan). However, these people didn't find a job in the first week in Britain, and naturally they didn't get paid, but they each had to pay 40 pounds (about RMB 600 yuan) for room and board, even if they slept on the floor of the kitchen and living room.

Then, they were suddenly taken to Exeter overnight. The weekly salary automatically deducts 40 pounds for room and board, several people use a national insurance number, and the labor contract signed has no Polish translation. They work 40 hours a week and earn 1 15 pounds (about RMB 1725 yuan), which is less than 2.88 pounds per hour (about RMB 43. 1 yuan), but they get less, because every time they pay wages, they will be deducted/kloc-for no reason. Many people are not registered with the Ministry of the Interior because they can't afford the registration fee of 50 pounds (about RMB 750 yuan). Therefore, they are afraid of being driven out of the factory or meeting the police.

The dormitory where they live has no furniture, and the garbage piles up like a mountain and stinks. Twenty Poles were crammed into three or four small rooms, and another 10 lived in a small house nearby. They can only sleep on dirty mattresses and are transported to work by van every day, from 2 pm to 10. The employer threatened them that if they told others about their work and life here, they would be fired and their wages would be deducted for two weeks. They were also asked to keep quiet at all times and not to go out in groups to avoid attracting police. Later, with the help of local trade unions in Britain, these Polish talents ended their "enslaved" life.

An Eastern European couple in their early twenties paid an intermediary 250 pounds (about RMB3,750) to work in East Yorkshire, England. The accommodation they were arranged by the intermediary was a small room with only two rooms, and the walls were opened to become a collective dormitory. The eastern European couple huddled with eight other men, and there was no privacy at all. Their monthly rent is 200 pounds (about 3,000 yuan), but their wages are always in arrears. The couple were robbed of 200 pounds in the dormitory, but their employer threatened them not to call the police, and they finally left this sad place.

The unfortunate experience of Polish workers and eastern European couples occurred before the establishment of the "employer licensing agency", and the following story continues. It can be seen that the status quo of "slaves" has not been greatly improved because of the establishment of this institution.

A Latvian mother in her twenties paid 100 (about RMB 1500 yuan) as an "intermediary fee" to work in Britain. After she arrived in Hull, East England, she received her passport through an intermediary, and the other party lied to her that she wanted to send it to the British Home Office for registration. Four months later, she still didn't get her passport back. Without a passport, she can't leave this institution, so she has to work in the factory every day 16 hours. If she refuses, she will lose her job and sleep on the street. She has never paid overtime, but she is often deducted "handling fee" and "transportation fee" for no reason. She has to share a room with two men, which is inconvenient and unsafe. Her English is poor, and she has few friends. I wonder how long this nightmare will last.

Two Vietnamese youths in their twenties paid 1.8 million pounds (about RMB270,000) to a Vietnamese agency to work in a British hotel. After they arrive in the UK, they should be paid at least 4.95 pounds (about 74.25 yuan) per hour after obtaining a work permit. However, their passports were confiscated by the British intermediary, and after working in the hotel for two months, they got nothing but free food. To this end, they tried to strike in this hotel, but their families in Vietnam were immediately threatened. Now, they are afraid to ask the Vietnamese embassy in Britain for help. Just disclose your own experience and warn people who want to work legally in developed countries not to take the old road.

An Iranian in his twenties came to Britain to seek asylum five years ago. The government allows him to work here. He has Iranian and British electrician certificates, but without a passport, he can't do a stable job and become an electrician. He doesn't work for more than a week at a time and can't save money. In recent years, he found seven intermediaries, all of which introduced temporary workers with minimum wages, and did not help him solve the passport problem. In this regard, the Iranian guy said angrily: "I am nothing here. Even dogs have a place in this country. I am worse than a dog. I hope to live a normal life. "

Need a "political spotlight"

Contemporary Slavery in Britain is a propositional study sponsored by the Joseph Evergreen Foundation in Britain, so it mainly focuses on the current slave problem in Britain. However, the report emphasizes at the beginning that "contemporary slavery is everywhere in the world".

According to the conservative estimate of the International Labor Organization, the annual income of the global "slave" industry is as high as 32 billion US dollars (about 248 billion yuan). At present, there are at least12.3 million "slaves" in the world, of which at least 360,000 people live in industrial countries, and two thirds of them are forced foreign workers. The most serious "contemporary slavery" is Southeast Asia, Latin America, the United States, Africa and parts of Europe. As for foreign workers who are forced to work, 43% enter the sex industry, 32% enter the labor market, and 25% have both.

Contemporary Slavery in Britain holds that today's slavery is triggered by political, social and economic interests. Global population mobility provides a large number of "slaves". The most obvious problem is illegal immigration in Europe and America. In 2003, there were 34.5 million illegal immigrants in the EU, and this number is increasing at the rate of at least 400,000 per year. In 2006, the State Council reported that 600,000-800,000 people were trafficked to the United States every year, of which 80% were women and half were minors. In contemporary slavery, the most important thing is human trafficking for the purpose of prostitution and forced labor. As for Britain, it is both a "slave" receiving country and a transit place. It is roughly estimated that in the past 10 years, about 1000 women and 3,000 to 4,000 children were sent to Britain as sex slaves, mainly from Eastern Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.

It is worth noting that many "slaves" entered Britain through legal channels, and they often hold work visas. However, because these people don't know their rights in Britain and don't know the language, they become "slaves". In this regard, the report explained that Britain is one of the most flexible labor markets in Europe, with flexible working hours, employment and dismissal systems, and no rigid rules on the length of contract signing and salary. Therefore, in Britain, construction, agriculture, cleaning and housekeeping have become the "world" for foreign workers, and these areas are also the most easily exploited areas. Employers are more willing to hire foreign temporary workers with low wages and can be dismissed at will. In such an environment, workers are treated as commodities. Many employers threaten foreign workers to revoke their work permits if they do not meet the requirements.

UNISON pointed out in the report "International Labor Migration" (2006) that foreign workers are very important to the British economy. But the government has not given these people the protection they deserve. "Both the British police and the Home Office acknowledge the existence of slavery, but due to the different attitudes towards' foreigners entering the country' within the government, the issue of slavery has not been in the spotlight of British politics." McQuade said that although British politicians verbally attacked "slavery", the existing judicial and political framework could not carry out sustained and effective attacks. So far, the government has not signed the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings of the European Parliament. More than 30 European countries have signed this convention.

Professor Craig also believes that although the British government has signed some international human rights treaties and established an institution to deal with human trafficking, the government and its related institutions (such as immigration and police) still regard illegal immigrants as "criminals" rather than victims. Therefore, even if these illegal immigrants become "slaves", they are unwilling to cooperate with the police and are afraid of being repatriated by the immigration bureau. If the crimes of "employers" and "intermediaries" are exposed, they may be attacked again or trafficked without any government protection.

"Faced with this problem, the government did not show enough political will and did not use enough resources." Finally, Professor Craig said, "We hope this report can trigger an anti-slavery upsurge and force the government to change its policies and improve related services. This requires the cooperation of various organizations and other countries (slave-providing countries). "