What is modern slavery?

Soldato
Joined
5 Dec 2006
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Ever since the first time I heard this phrase I always thought modern slavery was where you are working for a master to help them generate cash where the ratio of the cash mined by the slave which is given to the master vs the slave is less than 1:1. So that the enslaved person barely has enough time/resources to raise children/pay rent because they have to maximise time spent being a slave, while the slave master gets to jet around in private jets and sail the seas and amass fortunes by using the slave to mine money for him.

So if someone helps generate £100 in an hour, the slave doing the work gets £5 and the master gets £95 and after 30 years the slave owns half a beat up house, has missed their chance to see their children growing up, while the master is basically chilling on a remote island somewhere drinking cocktails.

I've just discovered that someone living in your house who cleans your windows and throws out the rubbish, is what a "modern slave" is. I personally found this utterly hilarious and pretty much a blatant lie designed to detract from the true meaning of real modern enslavement.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-window-say-clue-spotting-modern-slavery.html



This is just ridiculous, so if someone gets their kids to do chores or partake in a good old window cleaning session or a spring clean, they are seriously calling for people to report this behaviour to the police??? :D Personally, I was the best window cleaner in the house when I was a kid, no one could get glass and mirrors as spotless as me.
 
If you confine somebody to your home, force them to work and don't pay them then yes that's modern slavery.

No that doesn't include kids chores. Do you even read articles before posting links?

What you were describing is employment.
 
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If you confine somebody to your home, force them to work and don't pay them then yes that's modern slavery.

What you were describing is employment.

I thought that was just slavery, not modern slavery?

The master takes all the risks for most of the rewards, whereas the slave takes no risk for little reward. Nothing stopping you becoming the master.

Remortgage your house, use the money to start a business....profit! (or not if it's not a good business).

I'll tell you where the money is.....mobile phone cases! Thousands of people willing to spend £25 on a case costing 70p from china. To be honest, I think I'm going to give it a go. I've already made a contact who can sell me a case inc a fancy box for £1 and I'll drop ship it through amazon fullfilment. They are EXACTLY the same as the peel/bare cases. Just need a decent name for it.
 
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When does the daily mail ever report an accurate/newsworthy story?

Have they not ran their "Britain braced for coldest Christmas on record with 30 feet of snow" story yet?

/thread.
 
Your definition of modern slavery is you not liking the fact that some people have more money than others. Actual slavery is where people are forced to do very low/unpaid work and no choice in the matter.
 
*Surely calling to report people cleaning their windows and throwing out their trash is just madness.

That bit was ment to go at the top.

Sorry im not allowed to edit posts because it makes moderation more difficult.
 
If you confine somebody to your home, force them to work and don't pay them then yes that's modern slavery.

No that doesn't include kids chores. Do you even read articles before posting links?

What you were describing is employment.
this guy gets it..............
 
*Surely calling to report people cleaning their windows and throwing out their trash is just madness.

That bit was ment to go at the top.

Sorry im not allowed to edit posts because it makes moderation more difficult.

That's not what the links says though is it? They're highlighting that there are a number of signs that could add up to an indication of modern slavery. The example of the kids being picked up is a good one, if someone else picks up another person's kids everyday that's not an issue in of itself, if they pick up another persons kids everyday, have signs of physical abuse, actively avoid engaging with others etc then maybe you've got something to be worried about.

This is all pretty standard stuff that healthcare and social care professionals have been dealing with for donkeys, it's just become more prominent. There is now for instance a requirement for public sector organisations to public a modern slavery statement and to cover it in contracts to avoid a situation where some dude has set up a dodgy cleaning company with slave labour or some such.
 
There is now for instance a requirement for public sector organisations to public a modern slavery statement and to cover it in contracts to avoid a situation where some dude has set up a dodgy cleaning company with slave labour or some such.

It isn't limited to public sector organisations - it is for all businesses where they and their subsidiaries have a combined turnover in excess of £36 million. The disclosures on modern slavery must be published on the website of every qualifying firm. Some of the ones for clothing retailers are quite interesting, when you consider their supply chains...
 
It isn't limited to public sector organisations - it is for all businesses where they and their subsidiaries have a combined turnover in excess of £36 million. The disclosures on modern slavery must be published on the website of every qualifying firm. Some of the ones for clothing retailers are quite interesting, when you consider their supply chains...

I thought that was the case but I've only dealt with it in a public sector context so I didn't want to assume. My experience is that it's almost entirely lip service for most organisations, I'd imagine for a lot of the big retailers their approach will be based on risk and likelihood of a breach rather than moral obligations. Having said that, a risk based approach should still drive the practice down somewhat. It really becomes an issue when you start looking at heavily tiered supply chains, next buy from mega clothing corp ltd who subcontract to outsourcing clothing ltd who further subcontract on a continental level to Asia clothing holdings, then nationally to china clothing corp, then regionally until you end up in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere 8 tiers down the supply chain. Nightmare to manage.
 
I think modern slavery is just a term used to separate it out from slavery which most people picture as black men picking cotton.

It’s all slavery at the end of the day. Just within a different time frame and potentially different type of forced ‘employment’ with little or no pay being provided.
 
Your definition of modern slavery is you not liking the fact that some people have more money than others. Actual slavery is where people are forced to do very low/unpaid work and no choice in the matter.

a bit like those who make all our cheap iGoods in china etc? (not quite no choice but almost as good as)
 
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