Modern Slavery: The Exploitation We Overlook

Gone were the days when our forefathers were slaves in their own country and even shipped to other countries to work their asses off with nothing to show for it. Today, we believe that those days are far gone but what most of us don’t know is that this issue of slavers has just been rebranded to look like something else and it’s going on right under our noses.

Slavery isn’t only about being in chains and being killed when your master wishes to. It is a condition where one has to work so hard without any sort of appreciation whatsoever or payment that matches the work being done. Slavery in modern day is called hardwork and honestly, no one is left out. From adults all the way down to children- everyone is involved and sometimes most of these people take it to be normal.

I have a lot of examples of modern day slavery going on in my country because it probably is different in other parts of the world. The first one I would like to talk about is child labor because I see it everyday and always wish that if I had the power, I would just eradicate it. Child labor today has grown to be a normal thing in my country Ghana today. Walk on the streets and you’d see kids either hawking, begging or doing some sort of petty work when they’re supposed to be in school. Some kids also go to school and after they close, they are made to carry stuff on their head and hawk till night time.

I understand that someone may say that things may be hard and these children are just helping out. But I’d like to ask, since when did children have to do all these? I didn’t grow up hawking or begging on the streets, thanks to my parents. Things weren’t that good but I still wasn’t subjected to this kind of treatment. The part that even pisses me off is when parents give their kids to others to take care of and these children are literally turned into maids in those homes. I always say that my kids will never stay with someone else because I am working my ass off to give them a good life. Sadly, this isn’t the life everyone gets to live. But at the end of the day, let’s let these kids be kids.

Now, let’s late a look into the working sector. That’s another form of slavery right under our noses. These days, getting a job isn’t about what you know but rather who you know. The well connected people are lucky to get the higher job, working flexibly and at their own paces. Then there’s those that barely made it into the job and are hanging by the thread. These people have no one to push them up and so they do all that they can to prove themselves worthy. And the funny part is that, that’s what employees love to see. It’s more like their cue to make you work like a donkey. Someone like me who values my sanity would rather quit that job than kill myself. Most people don’t know that that’s not how working should be, I’ve been there and it took a very long time for me to see that I was literally a slave to others because I was an underdog.

Worst part of all this is that, these people that work day and night at their work places are not even appreciated and well compensated. The average Ghanaian worker is literally a slave because they work a lot more than their pay. At the end of the day, some people have to work double jobs just to earn a living. It’s very sad yet nothing is being done about it.

I believe that the only to eradicate this harsh lifestyle is to educate people on these issues so they know what is right and not right. Let’s teach them the laws and the appropriate work conditions so that they’re not tricked into thinking that they are not receiving the bare minimum. Also, I think the government should bring out stronger laws and make sure these laws are being enforced across the country. This is the least they can do for the people of the country and I believe it’s a step in the right direction.

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all images belong to me.

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