The Other Sides of Slavery

The other sides of Slavery.

Slavery is possibly the worst thing that you can do to an individual. It defies all rules of morality, it is a heinous crime against humanity, and totally evil. In all cases of slavery the slaves who do not defer to their masters are whipped tortured and may be mutilated, today they could also be be subjected to electric shocks. They are psychological cultivated to develop an acceptance of inferiority.
The thing that is often overlooked is, how did the slaves arrive at the facilities in Africa where they were held, pending their shipment across the Atlantic. Upon their capture the slaves were taken to “pens”, on the coast where they were held, the pens were dank, filthy and crowded. The people who sold the slaves to the European Slavers for transportation across the Atlantic to sell in the Americas were predominately black, only 10% were Arabs. The Arabs took most of the slaves they seized north to be sold in the Middle East and beyond. Slaves had been in human bondage for centuries in Africa before the trans Atlantic trade, their slaves were prisoners of war, criminals or debtors. They were used for labour, they were a sign of prestige, or even to replace deceased relatives. Most societies around World have had slaves at some time during their histories. The African trade increased expediently with demand from the trans Atlantic slave trade. To meet the demands, organized bands began to raid neighbouring communities to capture the inhabitants. Those who resisted both the Blacks and the Arabs, were killed. Slaves who had been captured both by the Arabs and the Blacks were often marched hundreds miles while they were restrained by ankle chains, or wooden collars, around their necks.
The route north taken by the Arabs meant they had to cross the Sahara Desert, where they used camel trains. The slaves could not have crossed the desert on foot, ships were also used to transport some of the slaves across the Red Sea and beyond. Many died along both routes, some estimate that up to 50% perished.
Slaves held in the pens in Africa could be there for weeks and sometimes months awaiting transhipment to the Americas. The pens ( holding cells )were in the modern countries of Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.
The Arab slavers sold the slaves to present day Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, U.A.R and the Ottoman Empire which included Turkey, Egypt, and Iraq. It has been estimated that between 6 to 10 million people were enslaved by the Arabs, and 12 million were transported across the Atlantic to the Americas. The Arab slave trade existed for over 13 Centuries, and the Atlantic slave trade for four Centuries. Slavery was officially banned in the British Empire in 1833, and in the U.S.A in 1865. It remained legal in the Middle East until much later, the last country to abolish slavery was Mauritania in 1981. The largest trader in the Atlantic slave route was Portugal, also heavily involved were France, Brazil, Spain, the U.S.A, the Netherlands, Denmark, and England.
In the Middle East female slaves were favoured for domestic work, and concubinage. ( sexual slavery ) Many of the males were castrated, and some went on to be guards and administrators. Surprisingly many slaves in Egypt who had been purchased as young boys from Asia and Eastern Europe became administrators, and they then went on to seize power from their captors. They came to be known as the as the Mamluks. The Mamluks were very successful militarily, they defeated the Mongols and the Crusaders, and went on to control much of the Islamic World for over 300 years. In the Islamic World it was a time of prosperity, art and architectural excellence. The Mamluks continued to purchase young boys from the north to succeed them, they were trained in martial arts and converted to Islam. They were finally defeated by the Ottoman Turks in 1517, though they maintained control in Egypt for much longer, until finally they were defeated by Napoleon.
The other aspect of Slavery which has received less attention was white Slavery. The Vikings who were at their zenith between 800 and 1066 engaged in Slavery. People were both seized from other areas of Scandinavia and enslaved, or traded to the south often as far as Constantinople. ( Istanbul ) They used smaller ships to navigate the river systems, even at times portaged them between river systems. White Slaves were much valued in the Middle East.
Between 1580 and 1830 an organized pirate group known as the Barbary Corsairs were active in both the Mediterranean and Atlantic. They operated under the authority of the Ottoman Empire, and at their Zenith had over 100 ships. They seized thousands of ships and their crews. After seizing a vessel a decision was made as whether to ransom the crew, or sell them into slavery, whatever would be more profitable. Even the King of England, Richard the Lionheart was seized by the Pirates, and ransomed on his way home from the Crusades. The Pirates also raided coastal villages in Britain and the Continent,
and sold the villagers into slavery. It is estimated that they sold about 850,000 people, the vast majority white, into slavery. They were marketed in Istanbul and North African Cities The seized vessels were either added to their fleet, sold or destroyed. They were eventually defeated by the Americans after they refused to pay tributes to the Corsairs, they bombarded their ports in North Africa, and used their Navy to maintain safe passages.
Slaves have had a place in human societies for millennia. At the time of Jesus there were Roman slaves, both Abraham the founder of all three of our monotheisms and Sarah were slave holders. As wealthy nomadic pastoralists both male and female slaves worked in their households and tended their flocks. Sarah gave her slave Hagar to Abraham to bear a child as she was barren. Hagar was later mistreated by Sarah and eventually forced out into the wilderness, where she was reported in Genesis to have an encounter with God. Muhammed had household slaves, and he also bought, sold and captured slaves, though he did introduce regulations to improve the conditions and treatment of slaves.
In Ancient Egypt 5-10% of the population were slaves who came from the Levant and Nubia, along with native Egyptians who were enslaved due to debts or crime. They largely worked as household or temple slaves. It is now not believed that the Pyramids were built by slave labour, but by paid labour.
It has been estimated that the Greeks had 60-100,000 slaves which represented a quarter to a third of their population. Athenian households averaged three to four slaves. They provided the labour for physically demanding tasks in mines, anywhere heavy lifting and carting was involved.
During the Roman Empire five to fifteen million people were enslaved, representing up to 25% of the population. Affluent Roman households may have had up to a dozen Slaves. Some Romans owned thousands of Slaves to work on their estates and in their households. Slaves were critical to the Roman economy, they worked in agriculture, construction, mining and households. Conditions were particularly bad in the mines, they were kept digging almost day and night under the earth. Because of the hardships they endured, in their eyes death was preferably to life. Slaves were owned both publicly and privately. Jews captured during the first Jewish, Roman War formed a massive slave labour force that built the Coliseum. Slave babies could be abandoned or killed outright. Most were dumped in the countryside to die of exposure or killed by wild animals.
In the Ottoman Empire which encompassed much of the Middle East enslaved people came not just from Africa, but also from Europe, the Caucuses, Korea, India and China. They were not just employed in households, and heavy labour, but also in the Military and administration. They could become important administrators and elite soldiers.
In Egypt when slaves mainly Europe and the Caucasus rose to influential positions, they seized power, coming to be known as the Mamluks. They went on to control Egypt, Syria and the Hejaz for over 300 years, defeating both the Mongols and the Crusaders. They continued to import young boys from the north to succeed them and trained them in military techniques and Islam. The Mamluks rule was renowned for its art, culture and architecture. They were finally defeated in 1517, though they controlled Egypt until they were finally defeated by Napoleon.
Today it is estimated that more people are enslaved than at any time in human history, over 50 million people are enslaved, half of the victims are women and children, one in four is a child. Modern day slavery hides under a cloak of ambiguity, it is illegal everywhere but persists globally often hidden in plain sight. The illegal profits generated are estimated to be over 236 billion dollars.
Modern day slavery encompasses many facets, one of which is debt bondage, incurred if a debt cannot be repaid, often causing the whole family to be forced into bondage. High interest rates and fraudulent accounting could mean that the debt may never be repaid, and may even be assumed by succeeding generations. Particularly in India the debt may have been acquired through over elaborate marriages of the families children. Other forms of slavery include women and children being forced into marriages, where consent is absent. Domestic servitude which involves exploitation in private homes. Sexploitation where woman may be forced into prostitution. Child labour, where children are forced to work in industries such as the production of bricks in kilns, agriculture, carpet weaving, mining and manufacturing.
India with eight million slaves it has more slaves than any other country. Some children in India are even kidnapped from their homes or on the streets. One report suggests that a child is abducted every minute, they are often never found. Trafficked children are usually from low castes, and members of tribal or religious minorities. Children are often forced to work 12-16 hours a day, food is minimal and they sleep crowded in the same rooms where they work. Some die from overwork and starvation.
In Africa it is estimated that seven million people are enslaved. In Mauritania where slavery was not criminalized until 2007 it is reported that some members of the Haratine community still report being treated as the property, of the Beydane tribe, ( White Moors ) They are forced to work without pay.
In Libya, Sub-Saharan African slaves are sold for as little as $400, the men to work in construction or agriculture, and the women as sexual slaves.
In the Sudan Militias have abducted woman and children from towns and villages, and sold them into slavery, they have been murdered the men. The same pattern also occurs in other areas of Africa.
In the Congo thousands of children are reported to be working in Cobalt Mines for as little as two dollars a day. Miners are often given tools and food on credit, which they are unable to repay due to high interest rates, forcing them to work indefinitely in the mines.
In China it is estimated that 5.8 million people are employed in forced labour. The Muslim minority have been particularly targeted. Hundreds of thousands and potentially millions of individuals have been detained in re-education camps and forced to work without pay in manufacturing garments, and solar panels, amongst other things. People are also enslaved in significant numbers in the following countries: North Korea, Nigeria, Indonesia, Russia, and the Philippines.
Enslavement of a modern kind has developed in Asia. Hundreds and thousands of people who are fluent English speakers have been lured by promises of high wages to work in fortified cyber compounds. These compounds are surrounded by high fences and patrolled by armed guards. Once inside their passports are confiscated and they are forced to work 12-18 hours daily making scam telephone calls. The frauds include romance scams, fake government and investment schemes, they target people worldwide. Those who fail to meet daily quotas or attempt to escape, face brutal punishments including beatings, electric shocks, food deprivation, and sexual violence. There is a report from a compound in Myanmar where a victim was forced into a very hot shower and scalded to death. These compounds are predominantly run by Chinese criminal syndicates. Widespread corruption amongst local government and law enforcement allow these operations to continue with immunity. It is estimated that 120,000 people are enslaved in these compounds in Myanmar, 100,000 in Cambodia and more in Laos and the Philippines.
The only conclusion we can draw from this is that slavery exists almost everywhere in the World today. It has existed since authenticated records began. In countries where there are few records of slaves within the country, countrymen traded slaves buying, selling and transporting them overseas to market. Slaves were not considered true humans, but chattel graded by age, musculature and appearance. Today only 18 out of 195 nations in the World today are considered stable, non corrupt democracies. Corruption in Government and Law Enforcement inevitable means that a blind eye is turned and slavery persists. We should not however consider consider ourselves smug and secure, there are industries and areas where wages are so low, people often immigrants, are in a web of poverty from which they from which they can never escape, even by working two and even three jobs their incomes barely cover expenses.
Confucius 551-479 B.C.E made a statement we should all strive to observe.
“ What you do not wish for yourself, do not unto others.”