(MENAFN) According to Aidan McQuade, policies, practices, and laws to protect people at risk of enslavement must be implemented to combat modern slavery. However, he notes that governments around the world are failing to do so, providing only lip service to the issue. McQuade believes that ignorance is a key factor in this failure, as many politicians confuse the issue of trafficking with smuggling. While smuggling involves breaking immigration regulations, human trafficking involves placing people in "situations of slavery." McQuade argues that the interchangeability of these terms indicates a fundamental lack of understanding of the problem.
McQuade also suggests that some countries allow a portion of their population to be exploited, thinking it provides a competitive economic advantage. He notes that slavery tends to be imposed on sectors of society against whom powerful sectors have prejudices. This means that if slavery is inflicted on people against whom prejudices exist, it is unlikely to become a political issue, as there will be no groundswell of public opinion demanding that politicians act.
Furthermore, some governments are ideologically committed to slavery, establishing political economies based on state-sponsored slavery. North Korea, Myanmar, and Eritrea are examples of countries where the entire political economy is centered around the enslavement of large sections of the population, according to McQuade.
McQuade stresses that the issue of modern slavery requires urgent action from governments, businesses, and individuals. Policies and laws must be put in place to protect vulnerable workers and hold perpetrators accountable. Without proper understanding of the problem, effective solutions cannot be developed.
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