Embedded Files
The hidden truth behind Multinational Corporations
The hidden truth behind Multinational Corporations
Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.”
When researching about this topic, I found a lot of shocking news. They made me realize the enormous number of items we own, which come from the work of enslaved people. I started reflecting and unfortunately, I realized how normalized this is in our lives. As I was researching more and more information, I decided to educate myself about global companies and how they treat workers.
“At least 24.9 million people are thought to be in trapped in forced labor worldwide.” Many international businesses are known because of their cheap products, that fit people’s interests. These businesses violate human rights by exploiting people, whose only choice is to do what they are told, following orders because of fear.
“Almost 20% of the world’s global cotton production is linked to China’s forced labour of meaning almost every high-street garment company could be implicated.” Thinking about the statistics that can be found online leaves me speechless.
“Those who generate the most profit from victims are in developed countries. Most victims are in the Asia-Pacific region,” says Christina Stringer, a researcher. “It crosses borders. It is not just constrained to developing countries.”
How is it that we, as privileged people, are so blind? I often ask myself whether we ignore what’s happening worldwide because we decide to, or because we do it unconsciously. This is precisely why I decided to dig deeper into slavery: to understand how normalized it is. It is a reality that seems incredibly far from us. However, enslaved people can be found in several parts of the world still nowadays and they are exploited to produce items that we probably all own.
SOURCES
https://www.antislavery.org/slavery-today/slavery-in-global-supply-chains/
https://smith.queensu.ca/insight/content/three_reasons_why_slavery_thrives_in_the_global_economy.php
STORIES OF MODERN SLAVERY
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/jun/05/female-garment-workers-gap-hm-south-asia
http://www.endslaverynow.org/learn/modern-slave-narratives
Page updated
Report abuse