World Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World Slavery - Essay Example Today, the most potent instrument of slavery is economic power as opposed to physical power. With most countries in the world joining the neo-liberal bandwagon, the power of money has established itself as the most potent instrument of perpetrating slavery. Previously, slaves would obey their masters for fear of the whip. But today, they do so for fear of starvation. Financial glottalization, euphemistically called neo-liberal reforms by most right-wing politicians, has contributed greatly to economic disparities across the world. In the thirty odd years since the initiation of the globalisation process, the income gap between the rich and the poor has only widened. It might be true that the Gross Domestic Products of several countries (especially those in Asia) might have improved during this period. But internally, the standard living for a majority of the population has stagnated or worsened. This kind of imbalance serves the interests of the rich perfectly, as they now have access to a desperate labour market that is ripe for further exploitation. It should be remembered that poverty is at its most severe in regions with high concentrations of wealth. This is why, prostitution has burst like an epidemic in Eastern European and South East Asian countries that have embraced neo-liberalism in recent decades. Since conventional notions of bonded slavery are not applicable in contemporary times, the parameters for evaluating its existence have to be modified as well. In this new understanding, slavery is closely associated with poverty. So if an individual is not able to eat two full meals everyday, or is unable to get access to basic healthcare, or does not have protection against natural elements, he/she can be said to be a slave. In this condition of acute deprivation, the individual will have no option but to take any work he/she is given at rock-bottom wages. In other words, the