Youth Advocate Program International

1
Modern Child Slavery

• Youth Advocate Program International
• 4000 Albermarle St. NW, Suite 401
• Washington DC 20016, USA
• www.yapi.org

2
Child Slavery
What Do you Know?

• What does slavery mean?
• Does slavery exist today?
• Are there laws that protect the rights of
  children?
• Which continent do you think has the largest
  percentage of modern child slavery?

Source www.stolenchildhoods.org
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Child Slavery
Definition

• A child slave
• is under the age of eighteen.
• receives extremely little or no pay.
• is controlled by violence or other threats.
• has no option to leave the situation.
• has no access to education or health care.

4
Child Slavery
A Life

• Iqbal Masih was a child slave in Pakistan. His
  parents were too poor to afford food they
  borrowed 16 in exchange for sending Iqbal to a
  carpet factory to work off the loan. Iqbal was
  only 4 years old. The children in the factory
  worked 14 hours a day, six days a week without
  any breaks. They were beaten and chained to their
  looms if they complained or tried to escape.
• When he was 10, Iqbal learned about a new law
  that forbade bonded labor. He left the factory,
  entered school, and began to speak out on behalf
  of children who still worked in factories.
  However Iqbals actions made many people angry
  he was shot and killed in April 1995. Iqbal was
  only 12 years old.
• Source Stolen Dreams Portraits of Working
  Children.

Source UNICEF Italy
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Child Slavery
Basic Facts

• There are more slaves today than were seized from
  Africa during the entire 400 years of the
  trans-Atlantic slave trade.
• The price for a slave in 1850 in Mississippi was
  40,000 (based on constant dollars). The average
  price of a slave today is 90.
• The majority of child laborers, an estimated 70,
  work in agriculture.
• Around the world, over 211 million children
  between the ages of 5 and 14 are working. At
  least 60 million of these children are working
  under dangerous or abusive conditions.
• Source Bales, Kevin. 2000. Disposable People
  New Slavery in the Global Economy. University of
  California Press.
• Source Free the Slaves http//www.freetheslaves.
  net/Page.aspx?pid301
• Source International Initiative to End Child
  Labor http//endchildlabor.org/?page_id20.
• Source ILO Accelerating Action Against Child
  Labour (2010) http//www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/pu
  blic/_at_dgreports/_at_dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_
  126752.pdf

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Child Slavery
Where It Occurs

• An estimated 158 million children aged 5-14 are
  engaged in child labor 1 in 6 children.
• In Sub-Saharan Africa, around 1 in 3 children are
  child laborers representing 69 million
  children.

Source UNICEF - http//www.unicef.org/protection/
index_childlabour.html Source http//filipspagnol
i.wordpress.com/stats-on-human-rights/statistics-o
n-labor-conditions/statistics-on-child-labor/
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Child Slavery
Forms of Child Slavery

• Forced Labor
• to extract work or service
• from any person using the
• threat of penalties.
• Debt Bondage
• debt bondage occurs when an individual is pledged
  into slavery as collateral on a loan or to pay a
  debt. Sometimes parents will pledge their
  children or the entire family into debt bondage.
• It is nearly impossible to pay off debt because
  additional debt is constantly accrued through
  additional expenses, such as food and lodging.

Source BBC
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Child Slavery
Forms of Child Slavery

• Chattel Slavery
• Chattel slavery is the most widely documented,
  historic form of slavery.
• Chattel slaves are legally viewed as personal
  property that can be sold and traded by their
  master.
• Religious Slavery
• Religious slavery refers to when
• children are sold or given to temple
• gods and priests.
• This still occurs today in parts of
• Africa (such as Ghana) and India.

9
Child Slavery
Effect on Children

• Health child slaves are easily replaced it is
  more expensive to nurse a sick child to health
  than to buy a new slave. Consequently, children
  rarely get medical or psychological attention if
  needed.
• Education child slaves are often denied access
  to education. Thus, even if they escape slavery,
  they do not have the skills necessary for
  higher-paying jobs.
• Family Ties child slaves are often separated
  from their families. Even if these children
  escape from slavery, their families still may not
  welcome them home.

Source Jon Warren via Hamline University
10
Child Slavery
Why Does It Exist?

• Poverty Children who live in extreme poverty are
  most susceptible to enslavement.
• Tradition Some parents view their children as
  property over which they have the right to
  control.
• Control Children are attractive slaves because
  they are easier than adults to manipulate and
  control.
• Cheap and Replaceable The average slave today
  costs less than 100. Overpopulation in some
  regions mean there is an abundant supply of
  children who are available as slaves.
• Physical Size Because they are smaller than
  adults, child slaves are more desirable for
  certain tasks such as weaving rugs and picking
  cocoa.

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Child Slavery
What Can You Do?

• Educate yourself about Child Slavery.
• Contact local, state, and national
• politicians for support against Child Slavery.
• Write letters asking for their opinion on
• Child Slavery.
• Talk to your parents about Child Slavery.
• Educate the adults in your life!
• Advocate for Child Slavery awareness!
• Begin a social awareness/ human rights club.

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Child Slavery
For More Information
Anti-Slavery International www.antislavery.org Fr
ee the Slaves www.freetheslaves.net Global
March www.globalmarch.org Child Labor
Coalition www.stopchildlabor.org
UNICEF www.unicef.org Free the
Children www.freethechildren.org Youth Advocate
Program International www.yapi.org