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South Africa will play six-time winners Argentina as Africa's four representatives are handed a tough draw for this year's Fifa U-20 World Cup in Poland.

Modern Day Slavery. Credit: UN images

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 25 2019 (IPS)

After an exhaustive study of modern day slavery, the Geneva-based International Labour Organization (ILO) concluded there are over 40 million people who are victims of slavery, including 25 million in forced labour and 15 million in forced marriages – with at least 71 percent of them comprising women and girls.

The current figures are reportedly even higher since the release of the 2017 landmark study titled ‘Global Estimates of Modern Slavery,’ which was a collaborative effort with the Walk Free Foundation, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The Chicago-based Safe Haven Network has described human trafficking as “the largest international crime industry– exceeding that of illegal drugs and arms trafficking.”

The United States outlawed the importation of African slaves by an act of Congress back in 1807. But it took another 58 years before there was a complete ban on slavery in 1865 following the end of the Civil War.

In the US, modern day slavery and racial discrimination are two sides of the same coin—and racism has raised its ugly head under the nationalistic banner of “white supremacy” under the current demagogic Trump administration.

Still, despite historic milestones, slavery is still prevalent in a variety of disguises—including human trafficking, child soldiers, forced and early child marriages, domestic servitude and migrant labour—both in the global South (read: developing nations) and the global North (read: Western industrialized nations).

The New York Times ran a frontpage story Feb 23 about a billionaire owner of a famous American football team who was charged on two counts of soliciting sex as part of a wide-ranging investigation into prostitution and suspected human trafficking in the US state of Florida.

The bottom line is: modern slavery is very much alive– and thriving– both in the world’s poorest and richest countries.

Karolin Seitz, programme officer on corporate accountability, business and human rights at Global Policy Forum based in Bonn, told IPS that modern slavery still persists both in countries of the global South and also in countries of the global North.

Especially migrant workers, may it be on orange plantations in Italy or Qatar’s construction sector, are at risk of coerced into exploitative and forced labor.

Modern Day Slavery. Credit: UN images

She said experience has shown that voluntary commitments by multinational companies are not enough.

Some countries, like the UK with its Anti-Slavery Act, Australia with its Modern Slavery Act or France with its loi de vigilance, have come to the conclusion that only binding rules are appropriate, Seitz added.

As the recent World Health Organization (WHO) report on the health of refugees and migrants in the European Region has shown, migrant workers are more likely to work long hours, in high-risk jobs and without necessary safety measures, and to avoid complain¬ing about hazardous conditions.

Those affected by trafficking or forced labor, said Seitz, are often not recognized by the authorities and therefore have no access to justice. Affected individuals can rarely enforce their claims to pay and compensation.

To eliminate competitive advantages based on modern slavery, human trafficking and environmental pollution, human rights due diligence must go beyond national borders, declared Seitz.

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), told IPS that inequality and modern slavery go hand in hand for millions of people.

“Modern slavery is everywhere, from the kafala system in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; from cattle ranches in Paraguay to fisheries in Thailand and the Philippines to agriculture in Italy,” she noted.

“The supply chains of clothes, food and services consumed globally are trained with forced labour, with migrant workers and indigenous people particularly vulnerable to exploitation,” said Burrow, a former President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) (2000–2010).

She said ending modern slavery is possible.

“It’s a matter of political will to deliver legislative changes and freedom of association, which will be driven by the exposure of scandal and campaigning from workers, consumers and unions. Governments needs to stare down corporate pressure, people demand it.”

Dima Dabbous, Director of Equality Now’s Middle East/North Africa (MENA) office, told IPS the ILO estimates that there are 1.6 million migrant women in the Middle East living under kafala sponsorship.

Situated in the Gulf States, Jordan and Lebanon, these workers are particularly vulnerable because they are located within private homes doing domestic jobs such as cleaner, housekeeper or nanny, and are excluded from local labor regulations.

They are bound to one employer and are unable to resign, move jobs, or leave the country without consent from their sponsor, who is able to threaten deportation if their employee questions the terms of their contract, she added.

“This imbalance in power relations has created a system whereby employers are able to exploit immigrant household workers with little risk of consequence”.

As a result, mistreatment such as restricting movement, withholding payment, and physical and sexual abuse are widespread. In extreme cases women have been murdered, said Dabbous, a former director of the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World.

In Lebanon, she said, previous lobbying by local and international NGOs has led to some improvements in the type of labor contract that regulates the work of domestic migrant women, such as imposing a period of weekly rest, employers to pay the wage on a regular basis, helpers who are abused complain to the authorities.

However, none of these “improvements” have made any difference because the new contract was not translated into languages spoken by domestic helpers and was not enforced by the Lebanese government.

“Women have continued having their passports confiscated by their employers, are still being denied a day off per week, and have little possibility of complaining about or reporting abuse.”

She said the ILO and other international NGOs (INGOs) should continue their advocacy around the kafala system that binds these migrant women to their employers like slaves.

The international community should also support the local NGOs that work on abolishing or replacing the kafala system.

These NGOs remain very few and underfunded. “The problem is compounded by existing racist attitudes in the Middle East region regarding migrant domestic workers, and this also needs addressing,” said Dabbous.

Seitz of the Global Policy Forum said while still facing shortcomings and difficulties in their implementation, the laws, however, require big companies to publish statements outlining the risk of slavery in their supply chains and actions taken to address this.

Other countries still believe in voluntary measures. The German National Action Plan for the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights lacks any liability, also because of the massive lobbying of business associations.

In order to close the gaps and set common and robust standards globally, states should support the current process at the UN Human Rights Council to establish an internationally binding treaty to regulate transnational and other business enterprises with respect to human rights, she said.

It should require states to establish mandatory human rights due diligence for its companies, to hold companies legally accountable for breaching their due diligence in case of human rights violations and to remove barriers to access to justice for victims of human rights violations by transnational corporations, said Seitz.

Burrow of the ITUC said globally, work is more insecure with a predominance of short-term contracts, and both informal work and modern slavery are growing.

Inequality of income and between those who can access decent work drives people to work under exploitative conditions, and the inequality of the relationship between employer and worker stops you being able to exercise your rights.

“Where wages are low and there is no decent work, where there are no unions to represent workers’ and defend their rights – we see the conditions which lead to modern slavery”, she noted.

The Fight Inequality Alliance of social movements, NGOs and trade unions are deeply concerned by rising inequality and modern slavery.

“A minimum wage on which you can live, decent work, and rights to form unions and collectively bargaining are key to ending the crisis of inequality and ending slavery.”

For migrant workers, recruitment fees from unscrupulous employers trap workers into bonded labour. Migrant workers, many of whom are vulnerable to conditions of slavery can rate the recruitment agencies and companies with the ITUC’s platform. www.recruitmentadvisor.org

She pointed out that UN Special Rapporteurs can help expose the scandal of modern slavery, the joint condemnation by four special rapporteurs of Ireland’s migrant fishing workers scheme adds pressure to the legal cases taken by trade unions.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/19/un-experts-condemn-irelands-migrant-fishing-workers-scheme

Lasting change will take the rule of law. Due diligence and transparency is the key to ending modern slavery in supply chains.

Where corporations take responsibility for due diligence and consequently make their supply chains transparent, it is possible to establish grievance procedures that can facilitate remedy of any violations of rights at work – from forced labour to paying below the minimum wage.

She pointed out that new mandated due diligence legislation is being adopted in France with other countries including Germany, the Netherlands preparing to follow.

The writer can be contacted at thalifdeen@ips.org

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The post Modern Day Slavery Rated World’s Largest Single Crime Industry appeared first on Inter Press Service.

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IPS coverage on human trafficking is supported by the Riana Group.

The post Modern Day Slavery Rated World’s Largest Single Crime Industry appeared first on Inter Press Service.

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By Dr. Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim
GENEVA, Feb 23 2019 (IPS)

The defeat of ISIS in Middle East and North African battlefields is now a reality. The terrorist group – which brought bereavement to the populations of the Arab region – has been defeated militarily in Iraq and in Syria.

Dr. Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim

Mosul, Raqqa, Tikrit and Ramadi – once considered as ISIS bastions in the Middle East – are now liberated and an era of brutality, cruelty and violence has come to an end. Although off-shoot factions still exist in countries such as Libya, Yemen, Egypt and in small pockets of Syria, the military defeat of ISIS marks a new era for Arab countries in their endeavours to rebuild societies ravaged by violence and armed conflict. Nonetheless, the “real work” to defeat ISIS and its heinous ideology lies in de-radicalizing returning militants and addressing the root-causes that initially provided fertile ground to the rise of radicalism.

Radicalism is not a new phenomenon. All regions of the world have witnessed the rise and fall of extremist forces at one time or another. Europe was the scene of far-right apocalypse prior to and during the Second World War. Radicalism and violent extremism later became the trademarks of nationalist, radicalist Marxist and fundamentalist groups during the Cold War. In order to counter the invasion of Soviet Union and the “red threat” in Afghanistan radicalization was used as a “weapon of war” to mobilize radical movements to counter the Soviet sphere of influence. The trauma inflicted upon the Middle East and North Africa by relentless foreign invasions – which have been occurring since the beginning of the 2000s – have once again given rise to extremist violence. The result: a generation of radicals with ultra-conservative views motivated to carry out attacks on societies and governments which do not comply with their ideologies.

“Once the genie is out of the bottle, who can force it back in?” One would assume that the adverse effect of Cold War radicalization would serve as lessons learned for decision-makers in their endeavours to address and roll-back radicalization. However, it appears that politicians and policy analysts presume that radicalization will disappear by itself as was initially thought with the collapse of the Iron Curtain.

Governments worldwide are now worried by the surge of ISIS fighters set to return to their home societies. And they have good reasons to remain disturbed. In a rushed attempt to identify solutions to counter radicalism, legislation criminalizing the involvement of individuals in extremist movements has been introduced for purposes of enhancing security. But will legislation alone prevent individuals – and in particular youth – from joining or remaining in extremist movements?

Imposing legislation is a step in the right direction, but it must be complemented by a full-fledged analysis of the genesis of violent extremism and radicalism. Inequality, marginalization, xenophobia, unemployment, ignorance, poverty, social exclusion and political marginalization as well as foreign intrusions, among other factors, contribute to the rise of radicalism. Ignoring these factors – and relying solely on criminalizing radicalism – is equivalent to “treating the symptom rather than the problem.” Every country must look into its own characteristics and the interplay between the push and pull factors of radicalization to address its adverse impact. Every society must have an open discussion about the root causes that incite youth to head to the battlefields of Aleppo, Raqqa or Mosul to fight for causes that starkly contradict the true values of humanity. Extremist violence is here to stay for some time. In order to roll it back, a long-term strategy that will go beyond security reinforcements is desperately needed. It will require political, cultural and sociological explanations.

Another factor which demands the urgent attention of decision makers worldwide is Internet radicalization. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has repeatedly warned against the phenomenon of Internet radicalization and urging Member States to work towards “a proactive and coordinated response.” Decision-makers must respond to the rise of Internet radicalism – that is emerging as an invisible force – inciting youth to join violent and radical groups including ISIS and others. Supportive settings and safe learning environments fostering social inclusion, open-mindedness and equal citizenship rights are important prerequisites in creating conditions protecting youth from falling prey to misguided ideologies. Internet must not become a recruitment and radicalization tool for terrorist and extremist groups. Online radicalization of youth must not be left unattended. But the challenge must be addressed without undermining press freedom.

Formal education, particularly early learning education, remain the most effective tool to nip discrimination towards others in the bud. Several countries around the world provide inspiring examples of how teaching the important values of tolerance and equality in educational institutions and through generation specific methods can save generations from the grips of radicalization and xenophobia.

Lastly, reintegration strategies of former combatants and extremists and religious counselling are key to avoid a “return backlash”. Rehabilitation of extremists must start at an early stage. Religious leaders can play an important role in providing counselling to address radicalist thoughts – that underpin the beliefs of extremists – and to promote the values of tolerance, coexistence and dialogue. The panacea to address radicalization is to rejoice in the Other and to break down the walls of ignorance that have insulated societies from some of their segments. Religious beliefs must not be instrumentalized to promote fear as a stepping stone to access power and to fuel indiscriminate xenophobic responses undermining national unity.

Many religions of the world bear a unique fundamental message of peace, harmony, tolerance and compassion. Only through dialogue between populations and regions of all cultures and religious faiths, only through the promotion of equal citizenship rights for all can bridges of understanding and tolerance be built between diverse social components of nations, thereby fostering social cohesion, harmony and a rolling-back of radicalization.

The post De-radicalization and the Defeat of Isis: Radicalization Will Not Disappear by Itself appeared first on Inter Press Service.