African Slavery in the 21st Century – RL Vol. XIII No. 558 MMIXX

African Slavery in the 21^st Century –

The Violent Afro-Arab Legacy & Potential Rescue Operations Globally

Public Lecture – Respublica Litereria RL Vol. XIII No. 558 MMIXX

Costantinos Berhutesfa Costantinos, PhD

Professor of Public Policy & Sustainable Institutional Reforms

https://addisababa.academia.edu/CostyCostantinos

Abstract

Cheap, unorganised labour is the preferred form of slave trade in the Middle East today. Africans are also willingly paying human traffickers to go to Europe for better life and prosperity for luck of opportunities and conflicts in Africa. The case of slavery in Libya is unique in that this is happening in the 21^st century at the gates of and the deterrence policy of Europe, where Libyan warlords inter­cept boats as part of a divisive deal that has seen migrant arrivals down nearly 70%, only for migrant to be sold as slaves in Libya. UN leaders said they are horrified, the international community cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the horrors endured by migrants in Libya (AFP, 2017). African migrants who are unable to pay their Bedouin smugglers’ demands for large amounts of cash to take them into Israel have their organs stolen by Egyptian doctors in the Sinai Peninsula. For those who make it to the Gulf, many commit suicide - at least 35 Ugandans killed themselves in the UAE- because of unpaid wages and abuse (Palet, 2018).

The key political question in recent months has been how to reduce the number of unauthorised migrants to Europe’s shores in rickety vessels from the unstable North Africa. Italy seems to have found a solution for reducing these numbers. Of course, the decrease in numbers does not mean that the people stopped fleeing persecution, violence, or poverty, but simply means they do not arrive in Italian shores. This raises the question: where are they? 

The unfolding human tragedy, its impact on human development and its consequences on politics are indeed too ghastly to contemplate. African nations must develop clear-cut youth and employment policies that match young people to the labour market and financing policies that would ensure production of viable skilled work force. They must put in place policies on science, technology, research and innovation that improve educational curricula to respond to real needs and train human power that are competitive at all levels in the labour market. The world has to work towards a new understanding of sharing in which those who have been marginalised in the struggle for justice and human dignity in society. These demand common tasks to build a community and the momentum for radical citizen’s participation: realism of what it means to be human means vision, shared values and shared resources.

Key words: migration, trafficking, slavery, labour market, unemployment, organ stealing, the Gulf, Libya, EU,

"Financial enticement to Africa’s kleptocratic leaders to stop migrants fleeing from despotic states is a sin. Even the most cynical claim of arresting the flood of migrants to Europe by economic incentives is futile. It does not change the status quo ante of the migrants, whose contemplations of future slavery by Libyan smugglers stands against prevailing torment at the hands of their own kleptocrats, hence, their aspiration of finding fresh avenues."

See paper here or https://www.academia.edu/39724317/African_Slavery_in_the_21st_Century_RL_Vol._XIII_No._558_MMIX