Bounded by Chains
(Talitha Joseph James, Rawalpindi)
Every year on 2nd December, the world celebrates
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. The main focus of this day is to
end all forms of slavery which is being practiced around the world. But what
really is slavery? Slavery and slave trading are the termsthat are not new but
it goes back to the injustices done by the brutal and selfish human beings to
each other since the 1600s. Usually people think the term slavery goes to being
the might is right phenomenon and remembered in the history as the sufferings of
Black people by the White. And during that time the scene as pictured was not
only White keeping Black slaves but infact the rich Blacks use to keep the poor
Blacks as their slaves too. And for slave trades people usually link it with the
trading of poor African people.
Iabsolutely reject this thinking of linking slavery to the sufferings of Black
people only and strongly believe that slavery is not bounded to the Blacks, but
it is present everywhere and like it was present in the past it still continues
to be there in the contemporary world as well only in another form because it is
there in the human nature that everyone seeks power and dominance. And when one
gets power it is obvious that he/she won’t let anyone to reach their level.
At present day we are witnessing many social issues but of the root cause of the
current issues like racism, colorism, gender-based discrimination and human
trafficking is slavery. And that we could see that even after the abolishment of
slavery in 1800s it has left deep scars behind. Few months back we witnessed the
Black Lives Matter movement’s protests and rallies across the world just because
of the killing of an African-American man George Floyd. But such outrage was due
to the oppression and turmoil faced by the Black people over several years. And
I know these things won’t end because it’s engraved in human nature that only
white is beauty. Beauty can just be imagined through colors but the real beauty
is what is inside the heart of anyone.
According to a report by International Labour Organization, more than 40 million
people across the globe are the victims of slavery in the modern world. Child
labour which is one form of slavery is a very sensitive issue that has been
abolished many years ago is still being present in the world and especially in
the Third World countries. A recent report by the International Labour
Organization stated that more than 150 million children are subject to child
labour all around the world. But the worst thing in child labour is that
innocent children who should get education and have bright future have to suffer
a lot of hardships and their future is not bright like others as they know that
in future their life would be the same like in childhood.
Every year on 2nd December we gather and talk about slavery and after that
everyone forgets about it. But it’s high time that we need to have big heart
which cares about every other human being and find lasting solutions to this
social issue. And in the end I would like to quote one saying of Abraham Lincoln
which I read once that “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for
themselves” This line has a very big meaning which is true that freedom, liberty
these are to be granted to every individual regardless of color, creed and
religion and those who snatch this from anyone doesn’t deserve to have it too
because God has made every human being equal. It is only us human beings that we
see others as inferior to us and treat them like slaves.