Globalization is equated to making the world a single community. It is done through integration of the world economies, industries, markets, and cultures using a global network of trade, immigration, and transportation. Globalization is an exciting concept and maybe one of the greatest achievements of the modern world. However, it also comes with tough repercussions that almost revoke its benefits. Such disadvantages include modern slavery, prostitution, uncontrolled arms trade, human trafficking, as well as toxic waste dumping.
Slavery, for example, is a concept that is extremely familiar among historians, but unique among other people. Surprisingly, it is common in developed countries and glamorous cities such as Paris, New York, Zurich, among many others (Bales, 2004). Slavery is not only restricted to child slavery, as it also includes adult slaves. This menace is intertwined in an intricate web of disciplines and touches on almost all aspects of globalization. Consequently, slavery is a product of the slave’s financial status, their cultural context, their education level, political environment, and their social status. Slavery involves more than just illegal ownership of another person (Bales, 2004; Majewski, 2009). It comes in many forms, often sugarcoated with fancy terms. People refuse to accept the facts as they are and engage in various legal battles in an attempt to conceal the truth. Modern perpetrators of slavery camouflage their activities, which in reality match the slavery criteria in decent business strategies of cutting costs and maximizing profits.
Poor people, for instance, in Pakistan, are sought after for cheap labor. They grow affordable rice that people in other countries buy to save on costs. By being poor, the workers are exploited with minimum wage rates. The same scenario is replicated in Africa. Most multinational corporations are closing up their factories in the first world and reopening them in the third world. This is a classic blend of economic status, cultural and political disciplines. The governments in the third world would not object to foreign investments that, in turn, create employment for its citizens culminating in improved living standards (Benatar, 2005). The citizens of the third world countries are ignorant of world wage rates and come from cultures that emphasize working for survival. Therefore, they have no choice but to work for meager wages. On the contrary, it is a blessing in disguise them. However, in the real sense, it is exploitation at its highest level.
A case of the multidisciplinary nature of slavery is also evident in Pakistan, where slavery thrives on religious grounds. Enslaved brick makers are Christians, while slave owners are Muslims. This marks religion as part of the segregation criteria (Lowe, 2005). Since they do not share belief systems, enslaving Christians bears less guilt than it would do with their fellow Muslims. This is part of modern slavery reality. In India, those of a different caste, especially the less fortunate caste, are enslaved. There are exceptions in India and Pakistan where some Christians are free. This is an indication that religious differences increase the vulnerability and gullibility of some people to slavery.
Racial segregation as criteria for slavery exists in Mauritania. Africans are more likely to be enslaved than the Arab citizens of the same country are. The Japanese culture discriminates against non-Japanese individuals. Statistics indicate that prostitutes in Japan are often non-Japanese. The usual goal is not only the difference of origin but also the economic conditions of the victim’s country. For instance, Thai people sell their women as prostitutes in other countries for financial gain.
With the view that slavery is a multidisciplinary practice; it follows that to understand its root causes and possible solutions, a unique approach is necessary (Minha, 2010). Such an approach should cut across almost all the disciplines involved. Geography politics and trade govern many slavery relationships between the sellers and buyers (Lowe, 2005).
Understanding the attitudes involved in the slave trade is also important. Some workers from certain regions are considered trustworthy and hardworking; for example, slaves from the Gold Coast are preferred by most slave owners (Lowe, 2005). Such stereotypes can be critically evaluated, and the slavery situation controlled. Therefore, it is possible to eradicate modern-day slavery before it gets out of hand. Slavery is a vice aided and abated by individuals from different places. Government officials largely play a crucial role in the furtherance of this illegal trade. Most of them are bribed, and the perpetrators of the crime go unpunished. Creating strict moral guidelines as a result of multidisciplinary research can help deal with this aspect of the problem (Addison, 2009). A cultural approach to slavery can eliminate the vice. In cultures such as Ghana, Togo, and Benin, girls are given to fetish priests as a form of appeasing gods. Such an occurrence is common if the girls are a product of rape or incest. Enlightening people can eliminate such practices.
A multidisciplinary approach to dealing with slavery will certainly solve the problem. It will not only consider political or economic aspects but also help deal with all possible outcomes or sources of slavery. Such an approach will trigger the formulation of strict policies and harsh penalties for the perpetrators of modern-day slavery.
References
Addison, N. K. (2009). We hold these truths to be self-evident: An interdisciplinary analysis of the roots of slavery and racism in America. USA: University Press of America.
Bales, K. (2004). Disposable people: New slavery in the global economy. USA: University of California Press.
Benatar R.S. (2005). The HIV/AIDS pandemic: A sign of instability in a complex global system. In Van Niekerk, A., Kopelman, L. M. (Eds.). Ethics and AIDS in Africa: The challenge to our thinking (pp. 71-83). South Africa: David Philip Publishers.
Lowe, J. (2005). Bridging southern cultures: An interdisciplinary approach. USA: Louisiana State University Press.
Majewski, J. (2009). Modernizing a slave economy: The economic vision of the confederate nation. USA: University of North Carolina Press.
Sinha, M. (2010). Modernizing a slave economy: The economic vision of the confederate nation. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 41(2), 310-311.